I don't know if anybody knows this, but I have struggled with weight issues for years and years. I reached my heaviest weight when I was in university. I got so down on myself that I joined weight watchers. I think I was about 20 or 21 at this time. I think that joining weight watchers is one of the top five decisions that I've ever made in my life, even though I've never stuck with it or reached/maintained my ultimate goal weight.
In June I rejoined weight watchers for the 5th or 6th time, I think. They have a new plan, which luckily fixes all of the flaws that I felt the old system had. But this new plan, called points plus, is, in my opinion, more complicated and difficult to follow. I always start going back to the old plan and mixing the two together, which is not a good idea.
I went to a meeting yesterday for the first time in a month. I went there with my head down, sulking at my 4.6 lbs weight gain, but left feeling completely pumped about getting back on plan. This is why the meetings are incredibly important. They motivate you, give you tips for success, and force you to be accountable. So, once again, I am giving it my all. Combined with all of the helpful tips that I've gotten for healthy eating (on the blog and vocally from people who read the blog but don't blog themselves), I am putting forth a full effort to target my problem areas.
I am notorious for adding a little extra salt here and there, so I am using more fresh veggies and herbs and completely eliminating unnecessary sodium. For example, the other day when I made hummus, I rinced the chick peas and used water instead of the water from the can. And I didn't add any extra salt, but put other spices like cumin and black pepper instead. In the end, it was yummier than my old recipe! I'm also keeping delicious salads in the fridge to grab whenever I get peckish. I have a tomato basil salad, beet salad, and beet greens salad in there right now. I usually use them all as toppers and throw them on top of a bed of spinach. Delicious! I am also keeping kalamata olives on hand for when I crave salt. Olives=great for the heart and great to quench your salt thurst.
I'm also tracking. I hate tracking, but it's essential to success on the weight watchers program. I promise I won't track online, since nobody really cares what I eat, but I am keeping track of it. Today is day two and I'm feeling good! My weight gain yesterday was a real reminder of my upcoming nuptials and, combined with the necessary lack of exercise in my life right now, the real possibility of a dress that is three sizes too small.
Anywhobers, I'll update again later with the results from my consultation this afternoon.
I didn't know it, but it doesn't surprise me. Not because you had any reason to be (at least, none of the times I've seen you), but just because I know so few girls who haven't.
ReplyDeleteOur moms obsess about their weight, and pass it on to us. (Sometimes through osmosis, and sometimes by being like my mom and telling me since puberty that I need to lose weight.)
I've never had the strength of will or the motivation for a diet or exercise regimen, so I really admire anyone who can stick with theirs. If I get fat, no one'll care, if I get skinny, no one'll care. Makes life easy!
Good luck with becoming a healthier you! :)
ReplyDeleteAs someone who was incredibly physically active, it was hard, after surgery, to sit around for something like 2 months without being able to do any -real- physical activity (your sternum and chest muscles have to heal and all that), and I put on a little weight, or really, what's more likely is that I lost a lot of the tone I had.
Here's the hard part, and I'm only warning you about it now because if someone had warned me I may not have been so disheartened: I used to have awesome upper-body strength. A mix of dance all my life and karate meant I was a pretty strong chika, but after surgery, I basically lost all upper-body strength (for obvious reasons), and I was too embarrassed to go from being the only girl in my PE class who could do pull ups to not being able to do a push up, so I didn't try, and I am only now (I blame it on being older and wiser) trying hard to get myself back in shape that way.
What I'm saying is, don't be dumb like me and get discouraged! It's not worth it! It's more worth it to work hard than to be a lazy bum like I was. Don't get discouraged! You're taking on a lot at once, but you -can- do it. :)
And hey, you have a blog for lots of nice people to give you encouragement on, so that's something!