|
|
By Cari, on August 7th, 2010
 dressed like a girl I know there’s a fair bit of anti-Biggest Loser sentiment on Weight Watchers. I agree and disagree with it. I agree in that BL does make some think/expect that big losses are the norm, but I disagree in that if it teaches people to eat well and responsibly, that’s a good thing. I only started watching this season, but I really got a lot out of it. It opened my eyes, but I know better than to think I’m going to lose double digits in one week. I didn’t even do that in week 1.
I digress… I got Ali Vincent’s Believe It, Be It off BookMooch earlier this summer and chose it for the gym today because I really wasn’t feeling the book I was reading (Jillian Michaels’ Master Your Metabolism). I finished the book in one day, almost in one gym sitting and it really opened my eyes. I know a little bit of Ali’s story from when it surfaced on this season’s Biggest Loser as well as from the Wii game. I didn’t know any of her back story and while I’m not Mormon and didn’t get as heavy as she did, I identified with her in many ways.
Food as a Fix. Or as someone has in their sig here, If hunger isn’t the problem, food isn’t the answer. I realized I was eating a lot of garbage in the last few years. Whether it was a box of reduced fat cheez-its (yes, a box. Still an obscene amount of points), m&ms hidden in my desk drawer, a bowl of cookie dough, a large Baskin & Robbins ice cream… You get the gist. I seemed to go in kicks and I’d have one of the above every night instead of dinner. Never mind the fact that I’d also be having a (large) bag of sour patch kids or a (large) box of hot tamales as a mid-afternoon snack at work. And I wonder how I got to be 209 lbs? Maybe the better question is why I didn’t weigh 409 lbs.
This nighttime noshing is one of the things I’ve really had to look at since I started on WW. I still don’t quite eat properly. A smoothie is dinner many nights, but it’s OK for now. It’s in my points budget and it works for me. Hell I work it in as dessert even when I’ve had dinner. It’s my comfort food. It’s a lot better for me than the others ones were, but I know I need to tackle that eventually. But still, it’s been a huge growth and I really don’t miss any of that. Small changes lead to big changes and that’s where I am. A loss of 1.6 lbs a week or a gain of .2. Either way, that gets me down 45 lbs in 22 weeks. WOW.
Chicken Exits. Oh so true. Giving myself something to blame the failure on rather than trying to learn what caused it and how to fix it. In a lot of ways, this was the insecure me. The secure, outgoing me is the world traveler – but the insecure me was always there. Shy inside the chatterbox. I don’t know if the weight was my protection, but it’s certainly not going to be any more.
The photo? It’s from dinner last week. I’m a lot happier than how I looked when this all started. I may not or ever be a shorts, sleeveless-top wearing size 4 120 lb woman, but I’m certainly happier with the person I am than I was with the 209 lb person I was.
  Post to Delicious   Post to Facebook
By Cari, on August 7th, 2010
 the numbers Weight Watchers is working for me. If you’d asked me in March whether I thought I could weigh 164 pounds in August, I’d ask you what you were smoking and whether I could have some. I was more than 200 pounds and didn’t really have any interest in losing the weight, until something clicked.
My aha moment, as I’ve mentioned before, was getting on the scale finding out I weighed 5 lbs more than I had a few days before. My fingers were swollen as were my ankles and my back hurt when I walked the few blocks to the subway. I felt winded. That wasn’t how I wanted to be at 30.
Did the Wii Fit at home for a few days and then joined WW on the eve of my Florida vacation after contemplating Jenny Craig and the like. I think I knew then that I didn’t want this to be a quick fix. I wanted to lose weight and learn about how to keep it off. Wanted to learn why I’d gained it so I wouldn’t ever go back. More about that in my next post when I review Believe It, Be It by Ali Vincent, which I just finished reading.
I’ve slacked off on blogging lately because I never was good at keeping up on blogs: reading or writing, but I’ve been keeping my chart. I look back and I’m wowed. I didn’t realize it’s been 22 weeks basically OP. Sure, I’ve had slips. Who hasn’t, but I got right back on with the next meal/day. I cannot believe I’ve lost 45 lbs. I’ve started to get a lot of compliments both from people I haven’t seen as well as those I work with. I still blush, but wow it feels good.
I’ve really tried to attribute rhyme or reason to my weight loss with the chart (at right) and there really isn’t any. As I’ve progressed in my loss and lost DPs, I’ve started eating more weeklies. I haven’t yet decided if that’s a good thing. Certainly not a bad thing since I’m still losing on average 2 lbs/week since March. Could I be doing better? Maybe, maybe not. Certainly nothing wrong with the rate I’m losing.
Most importantly, I’m living. I’m free to make (stupid) choices like fried chicken fingers. But I make them far less often. I want to eat healthier. I’ve added (soy) milk back into my diet helping me to get badly needed calcium. I’m eating more fruit and veg. And I think I can eat this way the rest of my life.
I enjoy going to the gym. Sure, I still don’t go as often as I could/should but I remember barely being able to gut through 20 m cardio and now I get cranky when I don’t have time to do 90m cardio. Still haven’t found the guts to do a spin class though.
I’m now less than 30 lbs from what I think my goal weight is. WOW.
That’s why Weight Watchers is working for me.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on August 1st, 2010
had a not quite totally but still somewhat unexpected off track day yesterday. We went to Asia de Cuba for a friend’s birthday and not only did I not look at the menu beforehand, I also didn’t know it was family style. Double whammy. And I was drinking.
I was good before hand with lunch at Toasties (no, it wasn’t a cheap day whatsoever) and had a huge salad that was only 5 points so I theoretically had 17 points for dinner. Well I don’t think that or the 35 WPs covered such delicacies of: noodle box, short ribs, lobster mash, thai beef salad, tuna tartare or a bit of this delicious dessert even if I had tracked.
Which I didn’t. I have no idea how to guesstimate serving size or NI or even some of what was in some of these dishes. So I didn’t track. I don’t normally believe in free days because I think they can spin out of control. Just going to do my best with APs this week and eating sensibly. One night out will not kill me.
Lunch packed for tomorrow: shirataki noodles with soy ginger salad dressing on them with grilled chicken.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 30th, 2010
A real eye-opener.
I’ve been reading a number of books on food and nutrition during my weight loss journey and this one struck me because it wasn’t proscribing a particular diet but rather encouraging education. I’ve seen any number of people back on WW for the 3rd, 4th, etc. times and I don’t want that to be me. I want to learn from this WLJ and not regain it. In that respect, I like that weight loss is hard. It reminds me of why I don’t want to have to do this again.
Young was a student of Marian Nestle, whose tome on food I’m currently muddling through. I find Young more accessible and she presents common sense knowledge in an educational way along the same way as the [Wall Street Diet] did. It’s less about what you eat as how much you eat – refreshing in the current era of “Eat only this. OMG! Never eat *that*”
From the beginning, Young shocks the reader, at least this one, with the extent to which portions have grown over the years. I did not know Hershey bars were originally the same size as the current fun bars. Wow. Or even the degree to which Lean Cuisine and similar have upsized. Seems contrary to what you’d expect from meals that are expected to teach portion control. One 14 oz slice of cheesecake? 1,560 calories. It really is no surprise that America is getting fatter. THe question is, how many people know this or even care?
Young’s main theory throughout the book was serving size vs. portion size, an interesting lesson for the readers to learn. While some of it is inline with WW and what I’ve read elsewhere on the web, some differs. It just goes to show how much different information is out there about the right amounts of food to eat. I think her main point is true though – it’s about learning how much you eat and recording it – whether it’s a cup (baseball) or half cup of pasta. I found her visual cues to be good tips for when you’re away from home and cannot measure.
“Nobody ever got fat from eating too many carrots”. While she does encourage tracking she deals with the stress that some people get in counting and tracking. You should try to track everything but if you have one more carrot than is a serving size, that isn’t going to be the end of your diet success.
“‘Diet Food’ may seem enticing, but it never helped us lose weight. There’s more of it on the market than ever before, but we’re fatter than ever.”
Sad, but true. Seems like everytime we turn around in the store there’s low-cal, high-fiber, no-fat… but are people just eating more and more of it to make up? There’s something fundamentally wrong with how people eat today and I don’t think it’s strictly limited to Americans.
While nothing that she presented was earth-shattering, some of it was very eye opening in terms of the number of servings a typical item is. I’m certainly going to use this information as I continue on my WLJ and incorporate it as I have the Wall Street Diet info.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 25th, 2010
 Child of the 80s This HIDEOUS photo on the shores of the Galilee or the main photo on my blog are almost exactly a year ago during the trip to Israel and Jordan. No idea what my weight was then. This was March 2010 at ~ 209 when I joined WW.
This photo is today. With Saturday’s WI I’m officially 20% down from my start weight and 42.2 lbs down from when I started. Shirt is a present to myself. 80s child all around. I’m so happy with my progress. I don’t see the difference looking at myself day to day, but I see it in these photos.
28 lbs, May 17, 2010 – almost 35 lbs, June 15, 2010
This (and the 8APs I earned today) made for a very good start to the week. The reason I wish I could go on The Biggest Loser? I wish I had more time to exercise. I felt so good today and wish I could have stayed longer. That was with 90+ min cardio and some strength training.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 16th, 2010
HOLY CARP, I’m in the 160s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At 167.8 I’m closer to my “goal” (140) than I am to where I started (209) and I’m officially not obese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, little excited here 
I had no expectations for this week because it was pretty bad. I tracked it all, but there were: a 52.5 point day (technically last week but the scale doesn’t magically know that), a 42 point day and a 36 point day. Don’t regret a bite of either the 52 or 42 point days (guacamole, pork belly sliders) but the 36 point day was stupid munchies. I was perilously close to going in the red for WPs, but I had 19 APs whic helped.
I’m a scale peeker because I can deal with the fluctuations but I didn’t want to see the damage from the 40/50 point days until I had enough water to flush it. I got on the scale last night at the gym and was floored when it read 170 (last week WI was 170.6) because a) it was evening and b) that scale is on crack at the best of times.
That gave me resolve to WI today (day early – but I’ll be down the Shore this weekend) and I bounced out of the Center. I may or may not have bounced on the scale itself
I’m even more determined for my next mini goal: 159 or 50 lbs down by Sept 19th when I see some friends I haven’t seen in a long time. Not sure what my next goal after that is.
Want to reward myself for 40 lbs but not sure how. Don’t need a pedicure or a haircut and manicure is a waste on me. Hmm, off to think about that while I’m down the Shore this weekend.
ETA: my size 14 capris are falling off me. Literally.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 13th, 2010
I’ve been struggling lately with evening munchies. Not out of hunger but boredom, routine, etc. Using points (weekly) because they were there, not because I was hungry. So Saturday I said enough is enough – not using them on munchies. Saturday, I was good. Sunday, not so good. 36.5 points, most of which were on nonsense.
So yesterday I rebounded, resolved. I went to the gym after leaving work late and got home a little after 9 pm. Quick shower, and then smoothie. Almost immediately after smoothie I got the taste for “anything and everyting” and opened the fridge. I had a slice of watermelon thinking if that really didn’t do it – then I’d think of something else. Washed it down with lemonade and I was good. Woohoo. Hope it continues today.
I really wish I could “close” the kitchen at night but I have a small NYC apartment with a galley kitchen in the living room. Living room is where my TV and laptop are so moving out if there isn’t really an option. Trying to keep bedroom only for sleeping.
So we’ll see.
On another note, 5 days in a row at the gym, wow.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 10th, 2010
 Dad and I Fathers' Day well not really, I’m doing WW for me which is why I’m going to be successful – but today I was going it for Dad. Today is four years that Dad is gone and in the past, I might have “toasted” his memory with food. I’m not going to lie – I might have done the same today if I could find “Dots” which were his favorite candy – but not to excess.
Dad had a sweet tooth but after his heart attack in 1996, he changed his eating habits, started to exercise and lost a lot of weight. He never pushed me on my weight but I remember one conversation where he was worried about me. There isn’t necessarily heart disease in the family as Dad’s heart issues came from the chemo , but still, it’s never wise to risk it.
So today, apart from running a bazillion errands, I ate well for Dad. I also went to the gym even though I really wasn’t feeling it in the humid weather. Also Subway. Not because it was a food he really liked – but because Dad didn’t cook. And frankly, weekends are for take out when I’m good all week. No emotional eating and for the first time since I went down to 23 points about a month ago, I might actually eat only 23 points. Need to re-focus, re-balance. Get back to week 1.
He’d be proud of the loss, I think.
Yesterday’s 52 point day was worth every bite – and it wasn’t emotional eating. it was somewhere between a planned-for indulgence and going a little overboard. It was chips and guac and I wouldn’t change a bite. But I also know it isn’t good – it’s the same portion control issues I’ve always had.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on July 3rd, 2010
15, not 28. Oops.
Yeah, oops. I WI this morning and I’m up Point Two. In my head, I was getting huffy and indignant “but I was 100% OP this week. This isn’t fair”. .2 is not a big deal, but I didn’t understand it, and then I started thinking. Tail end of TOM, and pretzels. Yeah, pretzels. EVIL pretzels.
I realized I’d polished off two bags in one week (really Sat – Thur as I won’t touch them on the eve of WI. When I got home, I re-checked the NI
to see how many servings there were per bag (14), so a total of 28 and then how many showed in my tracker. 15.
Yeah, oops.
Almost a full bag, 28/31 points (each serving was a pretty steady 2 points even when eating multiple, bag’s NI counts as 31) “missing” from
my tracker. That would certainly have obliterated the remaining WPs I “had” and a chunk of my APs. Gain no longer a surprise. I know what I did too. I didn’t portion out the servings – rather I ate mindlessly from the bag. Stupid. I learned my lesson on this – and pretzels aren’t allowed in the house any more. As I learnt when I read the “Wall Street Diet” book, I’m totally a clean plate eater and poppable, munchable, etc. snacks are bad. I don’t like potato chips, but pretzels are a serious downfall.
And now they’re contraband.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
By Cari, on June 27th, 2010
actually, 4.5 is not a good AP count for me for a weekend day when I have more time to spend at the gym, but I was so sore from yesterday that I wasn’t even sure what I could do – so this was better than nothing.
I did 60m on the recumbent bike and didn’t feel markedly worse than I normally do when done – tush still numb and legs tingly after. It was slightly less distance – 10.25 miles vs. 10.6 or so but that’s OK. I made sure to stretch really well after.
It’s my abs that hurt the most followed by my arms. Didn’t think I did that much on the abs yesterday but apparently I did. I was far too sore to do any weight work today to see if I could do the workout on my own, but I think I can.
Really hoping to get to the gym tomorrow night but we’ll see. If not, 13 APs is still good. Need to figure out a way to get in APs when I don’t get to the gym. I do the free step on the wii fit at times, and I did bring some dumbells home from moms to work with so that’s a start. Need to figure out what else I can do. Not likely to do any of the other Wii workouts as I’m not really willing to give up watching Yankees games.
Still, this is progress.
Post to Delicious Post to Facebook
|
|
|
