Apparently I misunderstood when I joined Weight Watchers. Although they kept saying "Don't dial it in," "Follow the program to a tee, " "If you bite it, write it," those bastards meant it.
And today's meeting was for me and my friend Ellen. It was about staying on course when it's not going so well.
We both had a gain this week.
Rats. My first one.
Oddly, this was the first week I started to notice that my clothes were fitting more loosely. I would also like to add that Ellen is looking great. She's been diligent about the gym. I added a spin class this week.
Oh and I ate like a pig.
I "technically" stayed in my point range. At WW's they give you 49 points to spread over the course of the week, so if you're hungry, you eat. If you have a party, you can eat a piece of cake. It's quite brilliant. It takes away the sense of deprivation. If you exercise, you can add points and then it will let you "use" more points. It defeats the point of exercising in a way, but it DID get me to spin class. It was Saturday, we had a few parties to go to, I needed some extra points!
Lesson learned this week: Follow the program.
Sigh.
I also have been a bit lucky the past few weeks. With all our festivities I still pulled out losses. So I got a little cocky and I pushed it.
I deserved the .2 pounds that I gained. My weekly average loss is down to .6. At this rate, I might get to my goal in 2 years.
And SPARE me the platitudes about how it will really stay off.... yes, I know that. I have no intention of spending the next year making all these positive changes to gain it back. But I was hoping it would only be a year, not 2. I don't want it to feel like a diet, but I think if I want to get serious, I might want to be a bit more focused.
On a positive note, I bought a t-shirt this summer a size smaller than I normally get. I wasn't sure what size my boobs would end up (I had reduction surgery in June). Sadly, the sleeves and the mid-section were a little snug. I've been sleeping in it because it was a bit too tight to wear out. On Monday I had it on and realized that it fit.
Also my "weigh-in" pants are really baggy. I've been to this point before with these same pants. Which brings me to my next question for the audience...
A friend of mine is getting married next November. There is a J Crew dress I have been dreaming of for years. Do I buy it in a size 8 and hang it in my closet? Will it motivate or mock me? I've never done anything like this before because I've always feared that I would waste my money. In other words, I've never had faith I would get there. At .6 pounds a week, I won't. Has anyone done this? Has it worked? My friend is someone that I "met" quite a few years ago on Spark People and actually have met her in person. Our table will be all sparkers-- and I'm not the only one using her wedding as a motivator. She's completely fine that we're stealing her special day as a weight loss goal since that's how we all met.
Please comment!! I'm curious what everyone thinks!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
REPOST: Zumba
This is a repost from my primary blog "Mama Bean's World" from last week.
I went to my second Zumba class today. Wow. It is way too much fun.
For those of you that are following my secondary weight loss blog, you are probably aware that this time on my quest to lose weight, I decided to only do exercise that I like. This isn't too terribly difficult, as I like pretty much everything. But this time, I'm raising the bar. I don't mind working out, but I wasn't loving it. Every time I went to the gym it was a reminder on how much I had let myself go. Working out used to be a great stress reliever. I could feel my muscles grow stronger every time. Now, I can't even find my muscles beneath the layers of fat.
So no more cross training. No more weights. No more treadmill. For now. When I'm at a point where I'm trying to get fit, I will add those back in. Right now, I'm just trying to get to fat.
Seriously.
I have 21 pounds to lose to be "just" fat.
I will be the happiest fat person in the world once I get there. Or as I will refer to myself- non-obese person.
What a sad goal- to be fat.
But alas, it's where I"m at right now and I'm okay with that.
So rather than look at this next year as a giant mountain to climb, I decided to dance up it. I just had some cookies, too. What I didn't do was eat a dozen. I had some. Last week I had ice cream. Tonight, I will have a glass of wine at my book club.
And every week, I have lost a pound.
And every week I've only done things that I liked.
Now I'm sure if I really put my mind to it, like the folks on "The Biggest Loser" or "I Used to Be Fat" I could get most of this weight off much more quickly. Trust me, it would find me again.
I have very intentionally decided to do this sloooooooowly. With fun and a little flair.
So today I shook my booty. The hard part isn't to shake it. The hard part is to get it to stop shaking. And as I was gettin' down with my funky self, I noticed the treadmills. The people on them looked like drones. Not the runners-- but the walkers. They were my size or bigger. Headsets on. Eyes glazed. Trudging through life.
I wanted to tell them "You're not going to stick with it. Trust me. Might as well have some fun."
I'm not by any means the biggest or the most uncoordinated person in the class. I don't even think there's a profile for the class. I may even be on the younger end. I'm not sure. There's a wide range of ethnicities, too. There's a gentlemen who must be in his late 70's-- he rocks.
It's all very motivating. Dancing doesn't discriminate.
The older women who have adopted me in the back row, keep me going. I keep them laughing. It's nice.
According to my heart rate monitor, my cardio health is improving. According to my scale, I'm losing weight. According to my smile, I am having fun.
And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
I went to my second Zumba class today. Wow. It is way too much fun.
For those of you that are following my secondary weight loss blog, you are probably aware that this time on my quest to lose weight, I decided to only do exercise that I like. This isn't too terribly difficult, as I like pretty much everything. But this time, I'm raising the bar. I don't mind working out, but I wasn't loving it. Every time I went to the gym it was a reminder on how much I had let myself go. Working out used to be a great stress reliever. I could feel my muscles grow stronger every time. Now, I can't even find my muscles beneath the layers of fat.
So no more cross training. No more weights. No more treadmill. For now. When I'm at a point where I'm trying to get fit, I will add those back in. Right now, I'm just trying to get to fat.
Seriously.
I have 21 pounds to lose to be "just" fat.
I will be the happiest fat person in the world once I get there. Or as I will refer to myself- non-obese person.
What a sad goal- to be fat.
But alas, it's where I"m at right now and I'm okay with that.
So rather than look at this next year as a giant mountain to climb, I decided to dance up it. I just had some cookies, too. What I didn't do was eat a dozen. I had some. Last week I had ice cream. Tonight, I will have a glass of wine at my book club.
And every week, I have lost a pound.
And every week I've only done things that I liked.
Now I'm sure if I really put my mind to it, like the folks on "The Biggest Loser" or "I Used to Be Fat" I could get most of this weight off much more quickly. Trust me, it would find me again.
I have very intentionally decided to do this sloooooooowly. With fun and a little flair.
So today I shook my booty. The hard part isn't to shake it. The hard part is to get it to stop shaking. And as I was gettin' down with my funky self, I noticed the treadmills. The people on them looked like drones. Not the runners-- but the walkers. They were my size or bigger. Headsets on. Eyes glazed. Trudging through life.
I wanted to tell them "You're not going to stick with it. Trust me. Might as well have some fun."
I'm not by any means the biggest or the most uncoordinated person in the class. I don't even think there's a profile for the class. I may even be on the younger end. I'm not sure. There's a wide range of ethnicities, too. There's a gentlemen who must be in his late 70's-- he rocks.
It's all very motivating. Dancing doesn't discriminate.
The older women who have adopted me in the back row, keep me going. I keep them laughing. It's nice.
According to my heart rate monitor, my cardio health is improving. According to my scale, I'm losing weight. According to my smile, I am having fun.
And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
Excited about .2 pounds lost
So I've been bitching about only losing a pound a week. This week I lost .2 pounds.
And I am very happy about it.
You see, in the past 2 weeks, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary, my husband's 40th birthday and I had a client picnic.
Lotsa food.
During that same time period I made good choices, had some fun and still managed to lost weight. It didn't feel like I was dieting. It felt like I was done being fat.
Not bad.
When I weighed in, Matt, our group leader, gave me a hug when I was happy about my minimal loss. And I am. Normally I would have thrown in the towel. I'm going on 2 months and have only lost 7 pounds. And I'm still not quitting. You know what? In a year it's going to be 40-50 pounds. Heck, by my birthday in January, it will be 15-20 pounds.
I went to Zumba today and overdid it a bit. I'm starting to learn the moves and may have been slightly overly enthusiastic. Everyone says it works "your core." I don't have a core. I have an ooey gooey center.
Saturday I'm adding spin back into my life. Wish me luck on that....
Nothing funny. Nothing witty. I'm just trucking along. Doing my thing. Losing a few pounds along the way.
And I am very happy about it.
You see, in the past 2 weeks, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary, my husband's 40th birthday and I had a client picnic.
Lotsa food.
During that same time period I made good choices, had some fun and still managed to lost weight. It didn't feel like I was dieting. It felt like I was done being fat.
Not bad.
When I weighed in, Matt, our group leader, gave me a hug when I was happy about my minimal loss. And I am. Normally I would have thrown in the towel. I'm going on 2 months and have only lost 7 pounds. And I'm still not quitting. You know what? In a year it's going to be 40-50 pounds. Heck, by my birthday in January, it will be 15-20 pounds.
I went to Zumba today and overdid it a bit. I'm starting to learn the moves and may have been slightly overly enthusiastic. Everyone says it works "your core." I don't have a core. I have an ooey gooey center.
Saturday I'm adding spin back into my life. Wish me luck on that....
Nothing funny. Nothing witty. I'm just trucking along. Doing my thing. Losing a few pounds along the way.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
90% is not good enough
I had an aha moment this week.
90% is not good enough.
If you've hung out with me you know that I eat fairly healthy. We always have fruit, not a lot of snacks. I cook. I don't eat much red meat. I love fish. We ride bikes. I walk the dog. I pack my lunch- usually salads. While I couldn't survive Jillian of the Biggest Loser raiding our pantry, I think most people would be surprised if they saw what I ate.
Most of the time.
I have a huge late night snacking issue. Blogging and playing Scrabble help with that.
But as I've been tracking everything I eat ("If you bite it, write it"), it hit me. That 10% that I'm not good has really blown it for me. This past week was my husband's birthday. I really, really, really wanted a margarita and a chimichanga. When I looked up the points, it would have far exceeded my amount for the week-- especially since I had some cake.
And one bad night would have been normal for me. We usually go out 1-2 times a week. At least one of those times, I indulge. That's my 10%. Or maybe I have a blizzard. Or a doughnut or two.
That once a week was really destroying the hard work of the other 90%. When I saw 7 weeks work of tracking, it really hit me- the only reason I've been doing well, is because I'm sticking with it 100%, not 90%.
Now 90% might cut it if I was already thin-- I haven't really gained any weight in the past 2 years. If I want to lose, I have to stick with it 100%.
I was talking to my assistant today about it-- she is my age, skinny and eats crap. She is a metabolic wunderkind. Pisses me off.
But as we were laughing about my Armageddon proof metabolism, I said I was just going to focus on the fact that I needed to look at it as only having 44 more Sunday's to weigh in or 44 more date nights to pass on drinks and dessert. That's feasible. I've already made it through 7.
That 10% has really done a number on all my efforts.
During my second meeting at Weight Watchers, Matt mentioned something about doing the program 100%- not our own personal versions of it. I thought "Who would pay to do it half-assed? Of course I'm going to do it 100%." When I tried this on my own, I was happy with 90% because I didn't have a plan. Now I have a plan. My "version" is to have fun doing it-- and I have been.
I know I will make mistakes. I know that I'm not going to worry on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'll be careful, I'll track it, but I'm not going to worry if I go over. But the rest of the time, I'm shooting for 100%. No more pretending every week is a holiday. Our anniversary is this Thursday- we're going out with the kids on Thursday and then out for a "big people" dinner on Saturday. And I'm going to stick with it. The best gift I can give my husband is a long healthy life. This really is a lifestyle change- all the time, every day. Not a diet.
So that's all I've got today on my quest.
90% is not good enough.
If you've hung out with me you know that I eat fairly healthy. We always have fruit, not a lot of snacks. I cook. I don't eat much red meat. I love fish. We ride bikes. I walk the dog. I pack my lunch- usually salads. While I couldn't survive Jillian of the Biggest Loser raiding our pantry, I think most people would be surprised if they saw what I ate.
Most of the time.
I have a huge late night snacking issue. Blogging and playing Scrabble help with that.
But as I've been tracking everything I eat ("If you bite it, write it"), it hit me. That 10% that I'm not good has really blown it for me. This past week was my husband's birthday. I really, really, really wanted a margarita and a chimichanga. When I looked up the points, it would have far exceeded my amount for the week-- especially since I had some cake.
And one bad night would have been normal for me. We usually go out 1-2 times a week. At least one of those times, I indulge. That's my 10%. Or maybe I have a blizzard. Or a doughnut or two.
That once a week was really destroying the hard work of the other 90%. When I saw 7 weeks work of tracking, it really hit me- the only reason I've been doing well, is because I'm sticking with it 100%, not 90%.
Now 90% might cut it if I was already thin-- I haven't really gained any weight in the past 2 years. If I want to lose, I have to stick with it 100%.
I was talking to my assistant today about it-- she is my age, skinny and eats crap. She is a metabolic wunderkind. Pisses me off.
But as we were laughing about my Armageddon proof metabolism, I said I was just going to focus on the fact that I needed to look at it as only having 44 more Sunday's to weigh in or 44 more date nights to pass on drinks and dessert. That's feasible. I've already made it through 7.
That 10% has really done a number on all my efforts.
During my second meeting at Weight Watchers, Matt mentioned something about doing the program 100%- not our own personal versions of it. I thought "Who would pay to do it half-assed? Of course I'm going to do it 100%." When I tried this on my own, I was happy with 90% because I didn't have a plan. Now I have a plan. My "version" is to have fun doing it-- and I have been.
I know I will make mistakes. I know that I'm not going to worry on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'll be careful, I'll track it, but I'm not going to worry if I go over. But the rest of the time, I'm shooting for 100%. No more pretending every week is a holiday. Our anniversary is this Thursday- we're going out with the kids on Thursday and then out for a "big people" dinner on Saturday. And I'm going to stick with it. The best gift I can give my husband is a long healthy life. This really is a lifestyle change- all the time, every day. Not a diet.
So that's all I've got today on my quest.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I Sparkle
Well, one more week down and one more pound gone.
Seriously.
A pound a week.
Just like the manual.
And IT STILL SUCKS.
I happily awaited the magic weight loss fairies last night and they didn't come.
Sigh.
This past week though, I made it through my husband's birthday (cake and ice cream, dinner out at a Mexican restaurant), his birthday night out (beer and wings), and the kids' fall festival (cake walk, bake sale...).
And I was good.
I had 2 pieces of cake throughout the week. Not bad. We even threw out the leftover (yeah us!).
I had a small scoop of ice cream when I did have cake (I like to have a little cake with my ice cream, so a small scoop is a big deal...it was a big switch).
When we went out to dinner on his birthday, I looked up some options and didn't freak when Fish Tacos weren't on the menu. I watched the numbers of chips I ate. I passed on the margarita.
We didn't eat at the festival. I donated a bunch of cakes, so I felt like we had contributed more than enough.
When we did our grown up night out with some friends, I had "naked" tenders- not wings and drank a Michelob Ultra.
All in all, not too bad.
I adjusted.
I went out.
I still had fun.
And there's still a part of me that wanted a GIANT margarita and chimichanga. Just not quite yet.
I guess a one pound loss, was not too bad a deal.
Today, when we walked out of our meeting, my friend Ellen and I were approached by one of the VP's of the local Weight Watcher's. She asked us if we would like to talk on camera about Matt, our meetings, Weight Watchers, etc. They were doing an internal video for WW for their local innovations awards or something. So we said sure.
Ellen did her bit- talked about how simple the program is to follow (she just hit her 5% goal today- WOO HOO!!). Then they asked me to talk about the meetings.
I said "Well, I actually blog about it...."
So I explained that having Matt as a team leader meant that I had a skinny Greek guy on my shoulder all week asking "Do you LOVE it?" when I would eat. I had her cracking up.
She stopped filming for a second and said "Do you know you sparkle on camera?"
I laughed. I actually had been told from a local news team that I give "good video." I even have done a few training videos for our corporate office. So yes, I had been told that before. But not in awhile. And I really hadn't felt "sparkly" for a long time.
She talked to me afterward about my positive attitude.
Again, hadn't heard that in awhile.
But it's true. I am positive. My back doesn't hurt. I feel in control. The meetings are making all the difference. And most important- the fact that my friend Ellen is going with me is a huge deal. While I'm making friends at the meetings (because I could make friends at a prison-- funny story about that...), it's nice to have my friend there, going through the same thing.
So I sparkle.
And I lost a pound.
Yeah me!
Seriously.
A pound a week.
Just like the manual.
And IT STILL SUCKS.
I happily awaited the magic weight loss fairies last night and they didn't come.
Sigh.
This past week though, I made it through my husband's birthday (cake and ice cream, dinner out at a Mexican restaurant), his birthday night out (beer and wings), and the kids' fall festival (cake walk, bake sale...).
And I was good.
I had 2 pieces of cake throughout the week. Not bad. We even threw out the leftover (yeah us!).
I had a small scoop of ice cream when I did have cake (I like to have a little cake with my ice cream, so a small scoop is a big deal...it was a big switch).
When we went out to dinner on his birthday, I looked up some options and didn't freak when Fish Tacos weren't on the menu. I watched the numbers of chips I ate. I passed on the margarita.
We didn't eat at the festival. I donated a bunch of cakes, so I felt like we had contributed more than enough.
When we did our grown up night out with some friends, I had "naked" tenders- not wings and drank a Michelob Ultra.
All in all, not too bad.
I adjusted.
I went out.
I still had fun.
And there's still a part of me that wanted a GIANT margarita and chimichanga. Just not quite yet.
I guess a one pound loss, was not too bad a deal.
Today, when we walked out of our meeting, my friend Ellen and I were approached by one of the VP's of the local Weight Watcher's. She asked us if we would like to talk on camera about Matt, our meetings, Weight Watchers, etc. They were doing an internal video for WW for their local innovations awards or something. So we said sure.
Ellen did her bit- talked about how simple the program is to follow (she just hit her 5% goal today- WOO HOO!!). Then they asked me to talk about the meetings.
I said "Well, I actually blog about it...."
So I explained that having Matt as a team leader meant that I had a skinny Greek guy on my shoulder all week asking "Do you LOVE it?" when I would eat. I had her cracking up.
She stopped filming for a second and said "Do you know you sparkle on camera?"
I laughed. I actually had been told from a local news team that I give "good video." I even have done a few training videos for our corporate office. So yes, I had been told that before. But not in awhile. And I really hadn't felt "sparkly" for a long time.
She talked to me afterward about my positive attitude.
Again, hadn't heard that in awhile.
But it's true. I am positive. My back doesn't hurt. I feel in control. The meetings are making all the difference. And most important- the fact that my friend Ellen is going with me is a huge deal. While I'm making friends at the meetings (because I could make friends at a prison-- funny story about that...), it's nice to have my friend there, going through the same thing.
So I sparkle.
And I lost a pound.
Yeah me!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Your McDonald's Cup is a Clue....
Today as I was standing in line to weigh in at Weight Watchers (down another pound- got my 5 pound sticker!! Woohoo!! Down 5.6 pounds!), a mother and son (he looked about 19) were complaining that it just wasn't working.
He was holding a McDonald's cup. No joke.
While I'm sure that the cup probably had Diet Coke in it, I'm also sure that he didn't have a grilled chicken breast with it.
Once again, I, Mama Bean, have solved another mystery.
I am finding that Weight Watchers works really well if I stay within my point range and track my food. In other words, follow the plan. I am not losing 5 pounds a week. I am losing 1 pound a week. Hey, look at that, it's what the book said I would!
Now I'm sure that in a few weeks, I will start to plateau. It will be around Halloween. I know I will want to throw in the towel, but I won't. Not this time.
I didn't get to go to my normal group on Sunday. The woman in today's group was equally as funny and vibrant. It was nice to hear what everyone is doing-- a little different crowd. Good stuff.
As for working out, I missed Zumba today- doctor's appointment, so I will try to squeeze in something this week. It's a light week- I should be able to figure it out!
I'm still amazed that it's working....
He was holding a McDonald's cup. No joke.
While I'm sure that the cup probably had Diet Coke in it, I'm also sure that he didn't have a grilled chicken breast with it.
Once again, I, Mama Bean, have solved another mystery.
I am finding that Weight Watchers works really well if I stay within my point range and track my food. In other words, follow the plan. I am not losing 5 pounds a week. I am losing 1 pound a week. Hey, look at that, it's what the book said I would!
Now I'm sure that in a few weeks, I will start to plateau. It will be around Halloween. I know I will want to throw in the towel, but I won't. Not this time.
I didn't get to go to my normal group on Sunday. The woman in today's group was equally as funny and vibrant. It was nice to hear what everyone is doing-- a little different crowd. Good stuff.
As for working out, I missed Zumba today- doctor's appointment, so I will try to squeeze in something this week. It's a light week- I should be able to figure it out!
I'm still amazed that it's working....
Monday, October 3, 2011
Dr. Oz joins the team!
So Dr. Oz is basically promoting the Weight Watchers plan. Love it. I also like the fact that I have a million dollars being dangled before my eyes. Now THAT might get me to put down the donut for good!
This past week has been a little hectic. I had a business trip thrown in with visiting relatives and every social obligation under the sun. Always difficult.
And I lost pound.
I was stunned.
Not my best week. I ate some candy. I used up my "extra" points. I completely expected to gain weight. I was shocked when she said I was down a pound. I attribute it 100% to the fact that if I was "bad" this week, it would have been worse if hadn't known I was weighing in. It's been a month. This is usually when I throw in the towel. I'm not throwing in the towel. It is not proving to be impossible. That little tiny 1 pound a week loss is really keeping my going. And the meetings that I thought I would hate.
During our meeting, one woman told the story of how she lost 175 pounds over 2 years. WOW. She did it very slowly. She was not a young woman, so I know she wasn't lying. I'm still in awe. This meeting stuff is really working. My friend Ellen lost 2 more pounds and is almost at her 10% loss goal-- also very motivating. Having someone else so enthusiastic that is a friend has really kept me focused.
And a few more updates---
I have added Zumba to my repertory of fitness activities.
Here's my plan:
Every month I will add one more day of exercise per week.
Sounds like I've set the bar really low, I know.
But here's the scoop- I usually go gang busters at the beginning and then get hurt or overwhelmed. Not this time. My new fitness plan is to only do things that I like. I genuinely enjoy working out, but tap dancing and zumba don't even resemble "exercise" to me. Until I get the biggest chunk of weight off and want to focus more on fitness, this is how I'm doing it.
Fun first.
Fitness will follow.
And who knows? Maybe I will win $1,000,000!!!
This past week has been a little hectic. I had a business trip thrown in with visiting relatives and every social obligation under the sun. Always difficult.
And I lost pound.
I was stunned.
Not my best week. I ate some candy. I used up my "extra" points. I completely expected to gain weight. I was shocked when she said I was down a pound. I attribute it 100% to the fact that if I was "bad" this week, it would have been worse if hadn't known I was weighing in. It's been a month. This is usually when I throw in the towel. I'm not throwing in the towel. It is not proving to be impossible. That little tiny 1 pound a week loss is really keeping my going. And the meetings that I thought I would hate.
During our meeting, one woman told the story of how she lost 175 pounds over 2 years. WOW. She did it very slowly. She was not a young woman, so I know she wasn't lying. I'm still in awe. This meeting stuff is really working. My friend Ellen lost 2 more pounds and is almost at her 10% loss goal-- also very motivating. Having someone else so enthusiastic that is a friend has really kept me focused.
And a few more updates---
I have added Zumba to my repertory of fitness activities.
Here's my plan:
Every month I will add one more day of exercise per week.
Sounds like I've set the bar really low, I know.
But here's the scoop- I usually go gang busters at the beginning and then get hurt or overwhelmed. Not this time. My new fitness plan is to only do things that I like. I genuinely enjoy working out, but tap dancing and zumba don't even resemble "exercise" to me. Until I get the biggest chunk of weight off and want to focus more on fitness, this is how I'm doing it.
Fun first.
Fitness will follow.
And who knows? Maybe I will win $1,000,000!!!
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