WEIGHT
I had my 3 week weight-in this last Wednesday and I am down 1.8lbs! So, total I have lost 3.2lbs! Initially, I was wishful again for a bigger number but realizing that I had lost my 'water weight' before all of this started (when I weighed myself and was at 329lbs; this was pure fat loss! So, I am happy about it. Also this past week I took a picture that I hope to use as the 'before' picture. I didn't think it would hurt to share it on here too. As the weeks go on I plan to have additional pictures as I get smaller and smaller.
The second picture is a snapshot of my graph from Weight Watchers (I got a bit print screen happy this blog, enjoy!). I'm going down!
January
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| January 18th- Week 2- 1.5lbs DOWN |
FITBIT
Something else I started doing 15 days ago (to be exact) is wearing my fitbit again. This brought me to a few revelations. On days that I did not work out I would barely hit my original goal of 10,000 steps! Ek! I was surprised how few steps I took when just around the house. Some days are as low as 4000 steps. There were a few days there when I felt like I had done something, like shopping and then 30 minutes on the elliptical and I STILL did not have 10,000 steps! So, I could either lower my goal or raise my expectations. As you can see from the screen shot after that I went with the latter :)
So, as you can see above there is just one day that I made goal. I remember that day too. I was about ready to go to bed and was surprised to see I was still 500 steps away from 10,000. I wandered around the house until I made it. It had been a day that I had felt like I had been active. I first wanted to think something was wrong with my fitbit, it was resetting or something. Haha, don't I wish? This week I really kicked it up a notch. 4 out of the 5 days this week I went on the elliptical, sometimes twice to get my steps in. The other night at 10:00p.m. I turned off the t.v. preparing to go to bed. I looked at my fitbit and saw I was still short 1000 steps. I surprised myself by going on the elliptical for 10 minutes so I made my goal!
My plan is to do this every day if I have to until I reach goal. 3 to 4 days out of the week I plan on hitting the elliptical hard/ 30 to 40 minutes moderate workout/out of breath, stinky sweaty! I've realized with my new life style of being at home if I want to get my activity level I will probably have to/get to go on the elliptical daily even for 20 minutes at not so moderate intensity. Enough to get my heart rate up but not enough to make me feel the need to shower right after :)
Weight Watchers
So, as I mentioned in the beginning, Weight Watchers is still going wonderfully! I have not missed a meeting/weigh-in yet AND I have not gone off plan, not even once. I have had a few things off plan if you remember; like chocolate cake, pizza....but on those days I made up for it by watching what I eat or just using a few Fitness Points (points that I got from exercise/working out). I have not had to use even one weekly point.
I warned you I got a bit print screen happy...I took a snapshot of each week's points. Now remember, my current goal (until I lose more weight) is 36 points a day. The reason my points go Wednesday through Tuesday is because my weigh-in/Weight Watchers meeting is on Wednesdays.
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| Week 1 Jan 7th-13th |
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| Week 2 Jan. 14-20th |
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| Week 3 (current) January 21-27th |
Ok, so I realize that you probably don't need to see all of that... but I enjoyed myself doing it :) So, the main point of the above three pictures is I stayed below my point goal each day. This might be week 3 of Weight Watchers but it is actually something like week 5 sense I started on my getting healthy journey. I have been full-force into this, not off meals or days for over a month! I am proud of myself and a little scared. What if I blow it? What if something happens and I get really stressed and overeat and go off plan? Well, this week's chapter gave me more time to contemplate that (good timing!.
Made to Crave series by Lysa Terkeurst
The third chapter of Made to Crave is This chapter talks much about how the author wants or wishes a lush display of flowers like she sees in people gardens. Well, for this garden she doesn't want to think about the planning or the hard work, just the beautiful bounty. Besides the garden, she wanted a beautiful body. The word she uses is "wished." She wanted to wake up one day, and snap, it would happen. She realized then and is teaching us now just like a garden there needs to be planning, hard work and ongoing tending before we see the results.
"I had lost weight before, but I couldn't keep it off for any extended time. My changes were always temporary; therefore my results were also temporary."
That statement hit home for me. I have tried so many different things to lose weight over the years; low-carb, counting calories, slimfast, Nutrisystem... and none of it seemed to work long-term. I am sure like weight watchers if I would have stuck to the program I could have lost weight and hopefully they would have had a plan to help me maintain it, but like the author my changes were temporary.
My plan, if you have been following along, is pretty obvious; Weight Watchers. Just like this is chapter 3 I am week 3 into the program and so far I feel I am really rocking it! I have an exercise regime of working out on an elliptical and lots of support and accountability from family and friends.
I am 100% certain that if I continue to follow Weight Watchers, the plan will work for me! If I backslide and can't get back on the bandwagon and then go back to my old eating ways, it will not work for me. I would have failed Weight Watchers. It isn't the other way around.
So, that brings me to the next thing I have been thinking about. Weight Watchers has those extra 49 points that are optional to use during the week and I have not used them. I have stayed on-plan EVERY day from the beginning. That is great and I am proud of that, but I have really been thinking, hoping, and praying that when I do have a day or even a few days where I do go off plan that I do not give up. It has happened before. I get a great running start and then I hit a bump in the road; my favorite fast food place during dinner time, a friend inviting me to Chinese, or just a bit stressful moment and this time HAS to be different. While I can't expect perfection of myself I have to expect that after an imperfection I get back on plan and continue this journey.
Ok, on to some of the discussion/personal reflection questions. I am only going to touch on a couple because a few I already did above.
What thoughts, images, or emotions come to mind when I think of the word plan?
I do like plans. I like the set-up, research, initial learning process. I love planning; for my wedding, trips, future, finances... The plans are there but the follow through isn't always. I feel like plans are important. We need to be ready and prepared for those 'if'' moments. If I plan to have extra snacks along in the car then I can eat before shopping and not get hungry buys. If I plan for what I will do after an off meal/day then I will be able to get back on track again faster. If I don't have a plan then my going with the flow will lead me back to where I was before.
What words or phrases would you use to describe the kind of plan you think would be realistic for you over the long term? On a scale of one to ten, how hopeful are you that you can find a realistic food plan and one that you can grow to love.
The plan I need is something flexible but accountable. It needs to be adaptable to life circumstance and interesting enough to keep me learning. It needs to be a life change! Weight Watchers is really all of that and more! That Weight Watchers is a life change and not a diet is something that they really emphasis. It is still early and I have so much to learn but so far there is much that I LOVE about Weight Watchers. I love the easiness of counting the points vrs. calorie counting, the accountability of the meetings/online, the easy to use online tools and resources, and the multiple way to change things up with new recipes or even different plans! One a scale 1 to 10 I say that I am at a 10.
Thanks for reading or even skimming through :)
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