It's hard to pick which good news to share first. Okay, first, I lost 2.5 pounds this week! That's fantastic news that I'm happy about. I've stuck to plan, stayed well within my WW points each day and only indulged in one real point-heavy treat (McDonald's caramel frappe for 13 points!). Onwards to another great week. I've already done an hour on the recumbent bike and it's not even 8:30 yet.
The other great piece of news is that MY FOOT IS HEALED!!! Finally finally after almost three very long months I have healed from surgery. No more MRSA, no more secondary infection - the wound is closed! I can go swimming! I can shower! I don't have to worry about bandage changes or weekly trips to the doctor! Can you tell I'm excited? Unfortunately I am dealing with what he thinks is tendonitis that is causing pain in my foot, but he gave me an injection and wants me to do physical therapy if necessary in a month.
So that's my happy news! Enjoy your day.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Slowing down
Well, I thought it would happen but I confess I didn't think my weight loss would slow down so much so fast. I know it's just my body leveling out after a quick loss last week so I'm not concerned about it but that doesn't mean I like it! I can honestly say that, so far, I've been the model Weight Watchers follower. I've tracked every single thing that's gone in my mouth and have made almost exclusively good choices. I had a couple tablespoons of Grant's leftover chocolate ice cream last night but I tracked it and was still under my points for the day so no stress over that.
This might fall into the TMI (too much info!) category but I've been constipated ever since starting on WW. I'm going to post to one of the message boards about it and see if anyone has any good ideas. I'm sure this situation doesn't help my weight loss! I was never constipated when I ate crap all day long! If I had to say what I missed most about eating junk it might be that :-)
Speaking of message boards, Weight Watchers has quite a few. Lurking has helped me alot already. This current situation of only losing .5 lbs this week is one I'm handling because of what I read on the boards. WW says a healthy loss is between .5 and 2 lbs per week, and so many people on the boards have had the same experience but they assure others that this is normal. That's good to hear. I go back to what I've said before... this is a marathon and not a sprint.
This might fall into the TMI (too much info!) category but I've been constipated ever since starting on WW. I'm going to post to one of the message boards about it and see if anyone has any good ideas. I'm sure this situation doesn't help my weight loss! I was never constipated when I ate crap all day long! If I had to say what I missed most about eating junk it might be that :-)
Speaking of message boards, Weight Watchers has quite a few. Lurking has helped me alot already. This current situation of only losing .5 lbs this week is one I'm handling because of what I read on the boards. WW says a healthy loss is between .5 and 2 lbs per week, and so many people on the boards have had the same experience but they assure others that this is normal. That's good to hear. I go back to what I've said before... this is a marathon and not a sprint.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday is weigh day
And since it's Wednesday, that means I get on the scale. Well, it's my official weigh-in day anyway. I get on the scale more than weekly let's just say. So for my first week on Weight Watchers, I lost 5.5 pounds! That means total lost since I turned over this new leaf is about 14. I'm pretty proud of that.
I've been reading alot of WW message boards and articles and it's really reminding me that although I've had an excellent first week's loss, the loss I can expect is between .5 and 2 pounds per week. This honeymoon period won't last and reading about this I think has helped me manage the disappointment I might feel when I have a week where I lose very little. And from what I gather, there may be weeks when the scale moves in the other direction. While I'm not planning it, this mindset is helping manage my expectation.
My goals for this week are to keep tracking all my points and to keep exercising. Wish me luck!
I've been reading alot of WW message boards and articles and it's really reminding me that although I've had an excellent first week's loss, the loss I can expect is between .5 and 2 pounds per week. This honeymoon period won't last and reading about this I think has helped me manage the disappointment I might feel when I have a week where I lose very little. And from what I gather, there may be weeks when the scale moves in the other direction. While I'm not planning it, this mindset is helping manage my expectation.
My goals for this week are to keep tracking all my points and to keep exercising. Wish me luck!
Monday, July 18, 2011
So far, so good
This is my sixth day on Weight Watchers and so far it's going well. I'm not playing any of the psychological games with myself to psyche myself out and set me up for failure. I don't feel deprived at all. I've fantasized about my McDonald's caramel frappe a few times but I'm just making sure I have enough flex points left in my weekly point budget so that I can have one if I really want one once in awhile. It feels good to know that I don't have to completely give up treats that I love, but that I can eat them occasionally and still stay on the plan.
I had a few instances this weekend where I ate away from home and while that caused me a bit of anxiety, I didn't overdo anything and tracked everything that I ate. McDonald's is another story, though. The boys are bugging me to go there to get lunch and even said oh c'mon we can just drive through. But I just don't want to put myself in that position yet. Small steps.
My visit to the foot doctor was disappointing. The MRSA is apparently gone and it's healing, but my doctor just has his heart set on opening the wound every time I see him, which is exactly what he did on Friday. I know that he's making it heal in the right way but it hurts and I don't like it. So at least 10 more days of not getting it wet. It's been since May 5, people! Can I tell you how short, unrewarding and infrequent showers are when you can't get one of your feet wet? Yuk!
I had a few instances this weekend where I ate away from home and while that caused me a bit of anxiety, I didn't overdo anything and tracked everything that I ate. McDonald's is another story, though. The boys are bugging me to go there to get lunch and even said oh c'mon we can just drive through. But I just don't want to put myself in that position yet. Small steps.
My visit to the foot doctor was disappointing. The MRSA is apparently gone and it's healing, but my doctor just has his heart set on opening the wound every time I see him, which is exactly what he did on Friday. I know that he's making it heal in the right way but it hurts and I don't like it. So at least 10 more days of not getting it wet. It's been since May 5, people! Can I tell you how short, unrewarding and infrequent showers are when you can't get one of your feet wet? Yuk!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saying yes to WW
After my last post in which I pondered joining Weight Watchers, I thought more about it and decided that I'm ready to try it again. Only this time I have a different attitude. My history with WW is that I quit after I have a bad day or two. I'm not going to do that this time because I am in this for the long haul - bumps and all. Of course I'm not planning on having any bumps, but seeing as how I'm human and a food addict, I accept that I may experience hiccups along the way. But I'm not going to quit.
Also, I'm not committing to doing Weight Watchers forever. If I find that for whatever reason it's not a good fit for me, I can stop WW without giving up my journey to get healthier and lose weight. People lose weight all the time with and without WW so I'll arrive at what works for me at various stages of my journey. I keep using the word journey because that's how I view it. It may sound like I'm less than committed to what I'm doing but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm telling myself these things because I need to go into this with a contingency plan. Without a contingency plan, it's too easy to quit.
Another thing different about this time is that I'm doing it with a friend. We are both quite similar in our food issues and eating habits and confidence levels. We're both doing the online version instead of the meeting version of WW, but we decided to share our weights with each other so that we'd feel that sense of accountability that people often get from weighing in at meetings. Wednesday is our weigh-in day and boy was it tough to share that starting weight with another human! But strangely it was kind of liberating at the same time. Made it seem like there was nothing to be ashamed of.
I did 80 minutes on the recumbent today! I keep busy with my iPhone playing word games online, reading all the blogs I follow, and catching up on news. So far so good. I tried one of the WW Smart Ones for lunch today and I'm already hungry less than two hours later. My homemade tuna salad sandwich stuck with me much longer yesterday!
Also, I'm not committing to doing Weight Watchers forever. If I find that for whatever reason it's not a good fit for me, I can stop WW without giving up my journey to get healthier and lose weight. People lose weight all the time with and without WW so I'll arrive at what works for me at various stages of my journey. I keep using the word journey because that's how I view it. It may sound like I'm less than committed to what I'm doing but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm telling myself these things because I need to go into this with a contingency plan. Without a contingency plan, it's too easy to quit.
Another thing different about this time is that I'm doing it with a friend. We are both quite similar in our food issues and eating habits and confidence levels. We're both doing the online version instead of the meeting version of WW, but we decided to share our weights with each other so that we'd feel that sense of accountability that people often get from weighing in at meetings. Wednesday is our weigh-in day and boy was it tough to share that starting weight with another human! But strangely it was kind of liberating at the same time. Made it seem like there was nothing to be ashamed of.
I did 80 minutes on the recumbent today! I keep busy with my iPhone playing word games online, reading all the blogs I follow, and catching up on news. So far so good. I tried one of the WW Smart Ones for lunch today and I'm already hungry less than two hours later. My homemade tuna salad sandwich stuck with me much longer yesterday!
Monday, July 11, 2011
To WW or not to WW
I'm sitting here on my last day of my vacation to North Carolina and reflecting on how I've eaten during this trip. Not so good. I haven't been mindful of what I've been eating and I've found Laura's stash of bars, which is a major weakness for me. I'm very worried that I've lost the momentum for healthful choices that I had coming into vacation. I'll just have to wait and see how quickly I can bounce back into the positive changes I was working on. I estimate that the scale is going to show a few pound weight gain on Wednesday morning, but I'll just have to wait and see on that.
In related news, I'm considering trying Weight Watchers again. I've made a list of the pro's and con's and I think the pro's are winning out. I won't do the version where you go to a meeting; instead I'll do the online version. The pro's as I see them are 1) it's a proven successful method of weightloss; 2) I need to change the way I eat and this is as good a method as any; 3) I might enjoy the record-keeping aspect of it; 4) unlimited fruits and most veggies; 5) stay accountable by recording what I eat and what activity levels I have.
The con's are I've tried it before and I've failed. It hasn't failed but I have failed at it. Is the structured nature of it going to make me feel restricted or deprived? And most importantly, related to why I've failed in the past, if I go over my points for a day am I going to want to give up?
The pro's are strong but the con's/questions are very real. I have to recommit myself to these changes that I want to be permanent. From what I read of others' experience with WW is that if I'm feeling deprived or overly restricted then I'm probably doing it wrong. As for giving up if I have a bad off-plan day, I just have to decide that this is a marathon, not a sprint and that one bad day doesn't need to tank the whole operation.
I think I'll sign up for a three month deal and see how it goes. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was scared of failing again.
In related news, I'm considering trying Weight Watchers again. I've made a list of the pro's and con's and I think the pro's are winning out. I won't do the version where you go to a meeting; instead I'll do the online version. The pro's as I see them are 1) it's a proven successful method of weightloss; 2) I need to change the way I eat and this is as good a method as any; 3) I might enjoy the record-keeping aspect of it; 4) unlimited fruits and most veggies; 5) stay accountable by recording what I eat and what activity levels I have.
The con's are I've tried it before and I've failed. It hasn't failed but I have failed at it. Is the structured nature of it going to make me feel restricted or deprived? And most importantly, related to why I've failed in the past, if I go over my points for a day am I going to want to give up?
The pro's are strong but the con's/questions are very real. I have to recommit myself to these changes that I want to be permanent. From what I read of others' experience with WW is that if I'm feeling deprived or overly restricted then I'm probably doing it wrong. As for giving up if I have a bad off-plan day, I just have to decide that this is a marathon, not a sprint and that one bad day doesn't need to tank the whole operation.
I think I'll sign up for a three month deal and see how it goes. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was scared of failing again.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Managing Expectations
Tomorrow is a big day for us as all four of us (me, Dave and our two five year olds - Kyle and Grant) are flying to North Carolina to spend a week with my friend Laura and her family. We have to leave our house at 5 in the morning tomorrow so I am busily packing everyone today. And since Dave is at the lake with the kids I've been doing it with the music plenty loud!
I've lost 10 pounds so far and I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I might put some of that back on during the trip. Mealtimes are going to be chaotic enough without me fretting about every morsel that goes in my mouth. But then I need to decide not to fret about any weight gain. This journey I'm on to lose this weight is a marathon, not a sprint, and I don't have to see the scale move in the right direction every single time I get on it; in fact sometimes it may move in the wrong direction, and that's just part of this. I need to get fine with that.
I think I'm anxious for the scale to keep moving because I'm still so early in this path. I've lost about 10 pounds, which is wonderful, but it's not to the point of me being able to tell in my clothes or in the mirror. This vacation means it'll likely be August before I really start seeing changes. I'm not trying to be negative, just being realistic, and talking about it helps me to accept it. Being realistic and managing my expectations is going to help me manage any discouragement I may feel along the way.
I'll try to post tomorrow with my Burst Into Summer Challenge week 4 results but no promises since I'll be in NC!
I've lost 10 pounds so far and I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I might put some of that back on during the trip. Mealtimes are going to be chaotic enough without me fretting about every morsel that goes in my mouth. But then I need to decide not to fret about any weight gain. This journey I'm on to lose this weight is a marathon, not a sprint, and I don't have to see the scale move in the right direction every single time I get on it; in fact sometimes it may move in the wrong direction, and that's just part of this. I need to get fine with that.
I think I'm anxious for the scale to keep moving because I'm still so early in this path. I've lost about 10 pounds, which is wonderful, but it's not to the point of me being able to tell in my clothes or in the mirror. This vacation means it'll likely be August before I really start seeing changes. I'm not trying to be negative, just being realistic, and talking about it helps me to accept it. Being realistic and managing my expectations is going to help me manage any discouragement I may feel along the way.
I'll try to post tomorrow with my Burst Into Summer Challenge week 4 results but no promises since I'll be in NC!
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