Alicia - First Weight In

Well, I did it. I so did not want to brave the scale at WW. What is it about getting on the scale that is so terrifying. I knew what it would be, as I weighed myself here at home. Just something about weighing in that makes it somehow "official".

Well, I need to loose 30 pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and need to loose an additional 20 to be where I really want to be. I could loose more to get to my "goal" weight, but I really want to be realistic. So, I am looking at 50 pounds.

I asked the leader last night if I really have to eat all the points, and I knew the answer, but when you are breastfeeding, it adds a ton of points and it is truly hard to eat that much food - even with my late night snacks. So, this week, I am vowing to eat all the points and drink the water.

Last night I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and it felt pretty good. Was thinking I could do this when Todd comes home for lunch, but I may end up doing it in the evenings and that might just work better for me. I think the weather is pretty good today, so Justin and I may just take a walk.

Here's to everyone having a good week this week!!!!!

not good, not good at all

so how do you know that this time, you're serious. this time, you mean it. this time, you're going to kick cellulite's ass.

i thought this was going to be it.

then i realized, there is no "thought" about it. you have to make it so. i keep thinking that i need to feel really amped up about my weight loss. that i have to feel really motivated. the truth is, it's got nothing to do with how i feel.

i know this might be a weird comparison, but i was thinking about tom and comparing the two situations. i love tom with all of my heart- nothing can change that. however, when we're not at our best and we're pushing eachother's buttons, i don't always like him. it's the commitment we have to eachother though that gets us through those slumps.

((i know, i told you this was weird...))

same thing with WW. i shouldn't have to feel all high and emotional about it. i just need to be committed to it no matter how motivated i do (or don't) feel at the moment.

anyways, soap box speech. i'm in a slump. this is where i would give up and i've only just begun. we can't seem to find our old WW materials (moving every year will have repercussions like this) and i know that's not helping. i don't feel equipped to be embarking on this right now. however, i know that there are plenty of resources out there and if i would just take advantage of them, i would be on a good path.

keep it up everyone! i really enjoy reading everyone's stories and hearing about how their week is going. it's motivating and encouraging.

Just a small loss . . . but still a loss!

Well, I had my weigh-in tonight at WW, but I only lost .8 lbs, bringing my total loss to 8.6 lbs. I was disappointed, as I felt I did really well this week! :-( But I guess the good news is that, even thought it was a small loss, at least I lost! I was hoping to get closer to 10 lbs. down, but oh well. Maybe next week. We've been eating out a lot lately, since our oven has been broken. Oh well, the good news is the new stove is being installed tomorrow, so we will be able to bake again!

Also, I got to see Alicia at the WW meeting tonight! I was really excited to see her, and I got to see Justin too, and hold him. He is SO adorable! I love babies. Unfortunately, I had to run off to a work dinner tonight, so I couldn't stay very long. But at least I got to see them and hold Justin! Fun stuff! Alicia, I'm so proud of you for re-starting your WW after having Justin!

How is everyone else doing?

Dotti's Weight Loss Zone

Most of you probably are familiar with this sight. It has been a great help over the years. Lots of restaurant points, recipes and more. www.dwlz.com

My WW History

I am excited about this new blog as a place to come get some encouragement in my continued battle of the bulge. As an author on this sight I figure I should introduce myself with my WW story.

I joined WW originally in January of 2000, after my beloved mother in law (I do love her-- she is the greatest MIL a fellow could have….that could be a blog post all on it’s own) got started and encouraged me. I had let my weight get up to 226 lbs. and I am only 5-10 and the top of my weight range is 174 lbs. Over the course of the next few months I lost all the weight I wanted to and got down to about 160 lbs. On May 1, 2000 I became a Lifetime WW Member.

I started running during my weight loss, which helped shed the lbs quicker than my WW leader wanted, too bad I thought. I got more and more addicted to running. We had no children and my wife was a teacher and had evening work so I had time for long runs. I did a couple half marathons and signed up for a full marathon. This was a goal I had had for years. I completed the Great Potato Marathon in Boise, ID in 3 hours 52 minutes, my goal was under four hours.

At this point in my life I had no need to count points anymore, logging 40-80 miles a week burned enough calories to afford me to eat as I liked. I feel it is important to note that I did not exist on ho ho’s, Twinkies, Slurpies and Cinnabon, but consistent exercise seems to breed healthier eating habits. It is very cyclical (I like that word) exercising, makes me want to eat healthy, eating healthy gives me what I need to exercise, etc.

I was for the first time in my memory satisfied with my body. I was wearing a size 32 waist (first time since 2^nd grade I think), shirts were a medium and larges were too big and most importantly to my moobs (man boobs) were gone.

I will also mention that I taught Weight Watchers at Work for 2 years. I used my wife’s classroom and taught a number of teachers from her school and co-workers of mine.

Five years and two kids later I am back to struggling with my weight. I have gained back about 30 lbs and that is enough thank you very much. I often tease that I gained the weight back during my wife’s two pregnancies, as I could not have her eat cookies all by herself at 9 at night or maybe it was just that there is not time with two kids. I know that the two main contributors are that I quit counting points or even paying attention to the foods I put in my mouth and I struggle to make time for exercise.

A quick note on the not enough time thing… I know that if I am going to exercise regularly I have to make time, I have to make it happen. This for me means I have to get myself out of bed in the morning. I used to be in my office by 5am meaning getting up by 4, I now struggle to get to my office by 7. I used to get up early so I know I can do it I just have to want it bad enough.

So I am I back on WW as of four weeks ago and down 7 lbs. I need to get more on the ball as I should be down about 14 lbs, but I will gladly take the 7.

My weight loss challenge

I started weight watchers years ago when my brother Jim had lost his weight with WW. I was truly inspired. I lost 116 pounds - took me 2.5 years, but I did it! I was at my best when I met Todd, but after remodeling a house, getting married, and getting used to a new lifestyle, I had put on a few extra pounds. My weight wasn't at a point where I was totally worried about it, cause I still felt pretty good about myself.

Then, we got pregnant. I can say that I wasn't my best while I was pregnant and ate pretty much whatever I wanted....this being why I am not back to where I want to be. It has only been 2.5 weeks since Justin arrived, but I was hoping to fit into at least my 20 week clothes...I am not. I have lost about 30 pounds since I gave birth, and I am sure I gained some pounds for feeding Justin, but this is not an excuse!

I am vowing to get back on track! I am going to pull out all my old stuff and read through it all to get better aquinted with a healthier lifestyle....Todd is a good support system, and I need to do this for me. I just got back the OK to drive, so I will need to decide what meeting I want to attend. I used to always to go the Tuesday night class and afterward we had "girls night out" which meant dinner with the girls..might be nice to put this back into practice at least once a month with my friends.

I am amazed at how much extra points you have to eat because you are breastfeeding. I have yet to be able to eat all my points for the day. I started tracking a few days just too work at getting back on track. I miss a day or two here and there, but today is my first day at really tracking my points.

Here is to all of us and a good start or re-start to our challenge.

warming up

well, we're here and we're climbing on the bandwagon. tom's been considering surgery to help him with his struggle with weight and i keep thinking that when he starts his diet, i'll start mine. we're a dangerous combo sometimes.

i've done WW several times in the past and always with success. the first time, tom and i had just started dating and i actually lost 20 pounds relatively easily. i did it with a girl friend and she was an amazing source of support. we went walking together every morning and we cooked together every night. it made it seem easy to lose weight.

fast forward to my post-baby body after we had stella (who's now 2, for anyone out there who doesn't read our blog). tom and i decided to go back to WW. i was probably a good 30 pounds heavier than i was when i went the first time. i chalked it up to baby weight. we lost weight- slowly but surely. i felt motivated, but tom was struggling. he was losing weight, but not nearly as quickly as he thought he should be. due to the discouragement he was feeling (and probably finances) we quit going and the "lifestyle change" was abandoned.

after i had our youngest in may, my body had shrunk. i actually lost weight during pregnancy that time! i was 17 pounds lighter post partum than i was when i first found out i was prego! alas, it didn't last. i have no idea what my current weight is but i'd be willing to guess that i've put those 20+ pounds back on my body.

i used to be super athletic. i ran track in high school. i loved to run. i was one of those people who would wake up and run 4 miles as a warm up. when i got home from school/ work, i would go run 7 more miles. i loved how my body felt and i loved how i looked. now i'm no dummy. i know i'll never have that body back. it's suffered it's fair share of abuse over the years, but i do know that i long to run again. i have this strange dream stuck in my head to run the new york marathon someday. my family and close friends have even said they'd fly out to watch me do it.

i want to participate more in my kid's lives. i want to be able to keep up and chase them while they learn to ride their two wheelers someday.

i would love to wear a bathing suit with confidence again. pre-kids, i was much more secure with myself than i am now. i miss that and i definitely want to pass a healthy body image and good confidence on to my girls.

these are my goals. summed up, i long to be healthy.

so the plan is to jump in with both feet starting on monday. i have no idea if we'll go to meetings, but we're certainly planning on following the WW plan. and the only reason that i say that we're starting monday and not tomorrow is because we need to go grocery shopping. :)

so... here's to better decisions!

Weigh-In Day . . .

Well, last night (Thurs.) was my weigh in, and I was really feelin' pretty nervous, since I had gone over points a couple of nights (yes I had already gone through all my flex points!)and I was really afraid that not only had I not lost, that I may have gained . . . but I am excited to report that I lost 3 lbs!!! Yahoo!! I am now down 7.8 lbs. and I actually got into a pair of jeans that I could not get into a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the new jeans I bought because the old ones didn't fit, are now too loose!!! I really am liking that. It is so motivating to have lost a relatively small amount of weight but it made a difference in the fit of my clothes. Whew!

Well, how did everyone do on Valentine's Day? I have to admit I had a couple (or three or four) pieces of chocolate that were hanging around the office and were calling to me. They were relatively small pieces (and they were Dove chocolates -- YUMMMMMM!!). Then Bill and I went out to dinner (I had already gone through all my flex points!!!) so I was a bit concerned. I always feel SO deprived when I go to a restaurant and can't order steak. In our WW meetings, they talk about how it is so easy to still eat out on program, by ordering grilled chicken, no potatoes, no sauce . . . all I can think is WHAT'S THE POINT?!? Why go out?!? To me, half to fun of going out (besides not having to cook or do dishes!) is eating a big ol' thick steak, baked potatoes loaded, rolls and salad. Of course, that is what the flex points are for. I was REALLY hungry last week!! Anyway . . . my point is that since I'd already used my flex points, last night we went to Marie Callender's and had salad bar and steak dinner. I had steak and cocoanut shrimp, but I did substitute the baked potato for more veggies. I loaded up on salad bar and low-fat dressing, had a small amount of soup, so I wasn't that hungry when the entree came. I was very proud of myself, and I only ate until I was full. I only had a few bites of steak and one shrimp. The rest went home in a doggie bag.

Speaking of salad bar, that can be a dangerous place! There are lots of yummy things for salad that can pack on the points if you're not careful. Things like hard boiled eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds and raisins. If you don't think you can resist, one idea is to order a side salad instead of salad bar, and have them hold any items that are high in points, so you don't see them and aren't tempted to eat them. If you do eat them, don't forget to count the points!! It's way too easy to just lump it all in as salad and figured the greens cancelled out the bad stuff . . . sad to say, that doesn't work!!!

If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then you probably know about the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. They are two points, and are very good! The hard thing is to only eat just one . . . . I wanted to let you know that Costco has been carrying Skinny Cows in bulk -- 20 ice cream sandwiches to a box for only $9.99!! This is a huge savings, as the ones in the grocery store come in a 6-pack for $4.99. Wow!! Also, I found sugar-free jello cups at Costco in bulk for an excellent price, too. The specialty items such as these can be pricey and makes it difficult sometimes to follow the program.

So we have several authors signed up, and several invitations still out there. If you are having trouble accessing the link for the invitation, let me know and I will re-send it. Make sure the email didn't go to your bulk folder, too.

Please feel free to post! I'd love to hear from our authors, about where you are, where you want to be, or anything else you'd like to post!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

In order to be an author . . .

If you'd like to be added as an author to the blog, I need to have your email address so I can send an invitation. My email can be found by clicking on the link to the right that says "Email Karen!".

I received a request from Sara to become an author, which I am more than happy to do, But Sara, I need your email address to add you! :-)

Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

Here's my tip for the day: Did you know that one of the snack size cups of sugar-free jello, topped with Cool Whip Free, is ZERO POINTS?!? This is a fantastic snack to have when you're out of points (or when you want to eat something sweet, but don't want to waste points)!!

Valentine's Day is Wednesday. Maybe you can use flex points for that special dinner and/or chocolates!! :-)

Welcome New Authors!

I'm happy to welcome Alicia W., Jim H., and Tom and Rae Ann P. as authors to the blog! We are all in this journey together and having this support as we all struggle to lose weight is so important. I'm excited to hear everyone's stories and share in the joys and struggles. I'm looking forward to sharing tips and recipes, too!

Let me begin by telling you my story. I'm 48 years old, married for 2-1/2 years to a wonderful man. Between the two of us, we have four kids -- my boys ages 24 and 19, and his girls ages 22 and 19. My boys live with us; Bill's girls live in southern CA and Kentucky, respectively. As often happens, I never had problems with my weight until I had children. Since then, I've slowly gained weight over the years to my highest weight of 287 (gulp -- its really hard to look at that number!). I'm 5'11" so it is really easy to put on weight before it starts to show. I have been a WW member previously (must have been 3 or 4 years ago) and lost about 35 lbs. Since then, I've gained back the 35 lbs. plus! This time, I joined WW on Feb. 1st and last Thurs. was my first weigh-in after my first week on WW and I lost 4.8 lbs! My goal weight is 170 so I have 112lbs. to lose. I'm determined this time. I'd like to have most of it lost by my 50th birthday -- Aug. 21, 2008. At my age, heart disease and diabetes loom as scary monsters in my future if I don't do something about my weight. I'm also on medication because my bad cholesterol is too high and my good cholesterol is too low. I'd like to get off of those meds, if possible. Also, once I hit menopause, then losing the weight will be even more difficult. My husband loves me just the way I am, but is very supportive of my weight loss. I am very lucky to have him in my life.

So that is my story! Feel free to share yours, if you'd like to. We can do this together!!!!

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to all of us out there who are fighting the good fight of weight loss through the Weight Watchers system. The idea for this blog was born when several of us who are on WW and who are also bloggers were talking about it, and my friend Alicia came up with the idea of starting a support blog for those of us who are on this journey.

Please feel free to join in, post recipes, suggestions, ideas, support for each other, and offer encouragement along the way. Feel free to vent, celebrate, commisserate, and cheer as we all struggle with meeting our weight loss goals. If you'd like to be added as an author, just email me or drop a comment on this post and I will give you permission!

I look forward to learning from everyone! I am very excited to be in this with all of you.