One more week

Confession: I neglected to check in last week, and it was probably not an accident. I was not happy about my results. For the first time during this WW session, I gained. It was only 0.4 pounds, but it was disappointing to say the least. I don't think I was doing anything different, although I can't really confirm that because I really didn't track much. I was frustrated, but I decided in order to catch up, I would need to lose 2 1/2 pounds by the following weigh in.



I tracked much better after that because I really want to succeed. I can't allow myself to plateau at only 10 pounds lost. All week, my weight on my scale at home didn't really change, so I was beginning to worry that maybe I wouldn't lose anything for the second week in a row. However, I stayed on plan. I was determined, and it all paid off. This Wednesday, when I stepped onto the scale, I experienced my 2nd highest weightloss to date: 2.4 pounds lost! That's a total of 12.8 pounds lost, and a weight of 188.6! I finally broke the 190's, and I am so excited! This just proves that tracking really does help! I have one more week of this session of Weight Watchers, and I am hoping to lose a total of 15 pounds over the 10 weeks, so I have to lose 2.2 pounds this week. I know I can do it! I also decided to sign up for the next 10-week session to keep up the momentum. (The irony is that the new Weight Watchers plan is called Momentum :))



In a mildly related matter, I watched "The Biggest Loser" for the first time this week. I was with my friend Kandrea, who is a personal trainer. That show is so inspiring. It's a great way to motivate yourself to lose weight. They work out ALL the time, which is obviously unrealistic for most people, but I saw people who weigh almost 100 pounds more than I do run a 1/2 marathon! I get out of breath just thinking about running that much! They also face challenges, overcome temptations and have to transfer their head knowledge into their everyday lifestyles. It was very cool. Anyway, the point of this story is I was talking with Kandie about rewards. She asked if I was remembering to reward myself for the little milestones. I thought about that for a minute.

Rewards... I am used to "rewarding" myself with food! You know, a Frappuchino for getting a good grade on a paper, or an evening out to celebrate some event. It's hard to break the habit, especially when food does seem like such a satisfying treat! But lately, I have been trying something a little different. Losing 10 pounds is like losing a clothing size. So with losing weight, I have been more comfortable in my regular clothes, but I have also been able to start wearing some clothes that I have not fit into in a long while. It feels great because I only kept clothes that were cute and I hoped to someday wear again. Or I will buy a new piece of clothing that I feel really great in. So for Valentine's Day, I got to wear my adorable poofy skirt that I hadn't been able to wear. And for the weddings I am attending this Spring, I bought a new dress. I had a blast shopping with my boosted confidence and shrunken waistline, and I look fabulous in the dress. I'm even looking forward to wearing my "getaway dress" from my wedding when we go out for our 1st Anniversary- and looking much better this year than I did last.

So that's what I am doing, rewarding myself with new clothes. Some other ideas for rewards that may appeal to you are:

Buy a new cd or dvd
Go out to a movie
Buy a new book
Pamper yourself: facials, massages and pedicures are a great treat!
Put money into savings... if you saved money from not eating out, put some aside for a rainy day. Then, you can feel good about working for 2 goals at once!
New shoes
Spend an entire day doing what you love: scrapbooking, hiking, sleeping, anything (except eating junk!)

Feel free to comment if you have more ideas for ways to reward your efforts!

Blue Ribbon Award

Wednesday was quite the day. It was very stressful at work, but that's another story.

I went to my WW meeting, and much to my excitement, I lost 1.8 pounds! My weight was 190.6, which is a total of 10.8 pounds lost in the past 6 weeks! I got my blue ribbon that says, "I lost 10 pounds!" and I hung it up in my cubicle for people to see. I am really proud of this accomplishment.

We talked about the different stages of commitment to weight loss. It was an interesting topic, and I realized the value of having support. I am truly thankful that my husband and family are supportive of my efforts. And it's amazing to have so many people at work doing it, too. When we see each other around, we always ask how it's going, we cheer when our coworkers lose weight, and we tell others how wonderful they look. It's a good motivator to hear those things.

Anyway, they say 10 pounds is like a whole clothing size. I don't know if that's quite true, but I do know this:

1. The pants that were the most comfortable on me before now fall off. But the ones that were tight and fit like highwaters are now comfortable and fit at a normal length.
2. I can wear fitted tops again. I was wearing a lot of flowy tops before because I didn't want to worry about sucking in my gut all day. I also have less back-fat to worry about.
3. I feel good. I seem to have more energy (maybe those vitamins are starting to kick in?), and I am already more confident.

I think will probably be 10 more pounds before I buy new pants. Just in time for Summer :) Speaking of Summer, which makes me think of sun & sand... Hubby wants to go to San Diego for our 1st Anniversary! New swim suit! I think I can lose 10 more by then. I would love to get a cute sun dress or two for our trip! i can't wait!

Well, until next week, I'm out. :)

The Power of Positive Thinking

First things first, I weighed in today at 192.4! That's down 1.4 pounds from last week, and 9.0 pounds total in the past 5 weeks! Yippee!!! I promised to write about what I was changing for Fitness Friday a couple weeks ago, but I forgot... I started taking a multi-vitamin. I know I don't get enough of the nutrients I need, so I started taking a supplement that is formulated for women my age. Added bonus- it helps hair & nails grow, too! Anyway, I haven't noticed much of a difference yet. That could be because I take it at night so I remember. But, I do know it's important to weight loss as well as overall health, so I am sticking with it!

Now let me say, I have no idea how it's happening. I have not been tracking my points like I am supposed to, I have been eating out a TON, and I really haven't increased my activity enough to count for anything. I have to believe that the one thing I have going for me is thinking positively. I set myself a goal (lose 50 pounds in 1 year) and I broke down that goal into something I could do (1 pound per week). Every time I step onto my scale, I imagine in my head what I want to see on that scale. Wouldn't you know? I am within a half pound of that goal every time! Sometimes, the scale agrees with me exactly!

I am not saying that thoughts alone can make you lose weight. But I think there is some relevance to the fact that I think about my goal all the time. I shop for groceries with my goal in mind. I think about how my meal might effect my goal when I order at restaurants. I imagine myself in new, smaller clothes. I tell others about my accomplishments and my goals. Thinking about my goal consciously changes my habits subconsciously. So, without even realizing it, I am changing behavior to help accomplish my goal.

This does not excuse me from being deliberate with my efforts. I can only imagine what I could lose every week if I really tried hard! However, it does comfort me to know that staying focused doesn't have to be as much work as I sometimes make it out to be. I'm not failing, I am falling forward. Every week I learn more about myself, and I grow while shrinking ;)