No matter how many excuses I make for overeating, no matter how I try to justify that an excessive amount of something really good for you won't matter, on weigh-in day, it all catches up with me.
I really didn't mean to eat all the yummy leftover Caprese Salad - oh, that fresh mozzarella on sliced garden tomatoes with basil leaves and a little basalmic/olive oil drizzled over it. Those leftover slices just wouldn't be that great tomorrow...I didn't mean to eat all of them...but they disappeared so I must have...
Yep, the old feet were in the trough again several times last week. I was over my WWP+ goal most days, resulting in a weigh-in of + .8 pounds on Tuesday.
As I weighed in, the Weight Watchers leader Kim asked me she could ask me some questions during the meeting. The topic was, "Do you believe you can maintain your goal weight for the rest of your life?" The first question she asked me was, "How did you feel before you joined Weight Watchers?"
I was tired. I would come home from work exhausted and just want to sit on the couch. My feet hurt. I had Plantar Fasciitis, and sometimes my feet were absolutely killing me. I hated the way the rolls around my waistline felt when I sat down. I hated the way my clothes fit. I hated feeling out of control.
"What helped you believe you could succeed?"
It took awhile for me to believe that I could succeed. I joined Weight Watchers when it became free with our insurance in October 2010 and we had an at-work meeting. Since I was still at work during the meeting, I usually weighed in but couldn't stay. The program changed from Points to Points Plus and it was hard to make the switch. I made a lot of excuses and didn't really stick to the program, losing about 10 pounds in a year.
I had a cancer scare and felt convicted to live a more healthy lifestyle and do my part to take care of the body God gave me. I got inspired when I watched Biggest Loser for the first time and decided to kick-start the weight loss by exercising as much as I could fit into my schedule for six weeks, by actually following the WW eating plan (tracking and counting points and eating healthy food) and going to a lunch time meeting. I joined a gym and set a goal to do 1-2 hours of exercise 6 days a week for 6 weeks.
"What did you accomplish once you started believing success was possible?"
I started on Nov. 7, 2011, and six weeks later was down 18 pounds. I continued regular workouts and sticking to "the Plan," and on June 11, 2012, met my goal weight, a total of 56 pounds. Strangely enough, during the next six weeks while trying to maintain, I lost another 7 pounds, so when I did my final weigh-in for Lifetime, I set my goal weight 5 pounds lower than originally planned.
I also found discovered activities I love that make me feel great, like Zumba and running. When I get off work, I'm excited to go for a run or to an exercise class. Two years ago, I would never have even wanted to run a half marathon, much less believe that I was capable of doing it.
"How do you keep nurturing that belief so it stays strong?"
I feel so much better, mentally, physically, and emotionally when I am living a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, good nutrition and a healthy weight. I am determined not to let the old habits come back, and not to give up when I experience failures. To keep my free Lifetime Weight Watcher status, I have to weigh in within 2 pounds of the goal weight once a month. I've been struggling to make weight for months, going to the last meeting of the month, starving myself the day before to try to make the weight, and I wasn't going to make it this month. I finally decided to re-join and get back to the bottom range of my goal weight so that I could go to a meeting every single week without paying a penalty if I was over. After being at a meeting the last two weeks, I realize once again how encouraging and helpful it is to be accountable and spend time with other people who understand and face the same struggles I do. So I'm committed to being a regular meeting attender again.
Another way to nurture that belief is this blog. I enjoy writing, and there's no better way to reinforce what I learn and believe that to write about it as I live it.
This week's favorite healthy treat: Baked pears, drizzled with a bit of maple syrup, generously sprinkled with cinnamon, then microwaved. Yum! Top with a creamy dollop of vanilla yogurt and what a treat! Pears are delicious baked or fresh, and I thank my friend Candace for the lovely box of pears from her mother's tree.
Last week's goals: I stuck to all but #3. I ate up most of my Activity Points. What a pig. Oops, negative self talk is not acceptable. Stop it.
This week's goal:
All of last week's with one addition: Do better about tracking before or immediately after I eat. It's too easy to forget to track if I wait.
So, I disappointed myself last week. I'm doing much better this week, tracking every day and keeping the points where they need to be. But no doubt, I will again disappoint myself and others, as well as be disappointed by others, many more times in my life. Thankfully, my faith is not in myself, but in the One who will never disappoint me.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
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