I just got done reading a post on Tim Ferriss’ blog. If you don’t know who Tim Ferriss is, he’s the author of the 4-Hour Work Week, a book I highly recommend. Anyway, he conducted a post in which Dr. Michael Eades, an obesity treatment doctor, compared two different dietary studies and how they apply to losing weight.
You can read it for yourself here. I recommend reading some of the comments, too.
That’s right, you read it right. I have officially signed up for Weight Watchers. If someone told me a year ago that I would join WW I would have told them to get off the crack! Seriously, I was eating healthy and on top of the world. When I lost 60 lbs before becoming pregnant with Annabelle, I had it good. We spent about $1200/month on food. We were members of 4 farms and 2 organic produce co-ops, shopped at Whole Foods and Central Market. We ate all raw dairy, sprouted grains, mostly organic and a ton of delicious produce. I walked 6 days a week with Tatum and Trent in a double jogger with a friend or my husband. It was great. I was at a really good place.
Then we moved. I didn’t realize it would have such a big impact. I did know the main thing (besides some great friends) that I would miss about Dallas was the good food we had there. After being back in AZ over 8 months now, I am just beginning to get the resources I want and they are nothing like TX. That’s OK though. Also, I don’t have the same support. I am at home, with 3 kids and no car. Bummer.
I would normally tell you I don’t believe in counting calories. Interesting and humbling that I find myself in this position. I just haven’t had the motivation to stop and look at what I’m eating. I have taken all my good habits, crumbled them up and thrown them out the window, while opening the door to crappy old habits. So, I’m searching in myself to find those great habits I had formed. Why not do that with some support and with a breath of fresh air?!
Weight Watcher Plans
Right now, WW has 2 plans. The Flex Plan and The Core Plan. They give you a run down of what they are on their website. You can choose either plan and actually switch back and forth between them week by week.
The Flex Plan is their one and only Points System. It’s just like counting calories. Each food is given a point value based on calories, fat and fiber grams. You can use a slider given to you when you sign up and use the label to figure out the points. Also, there is a food companion and dining out guide you can buy to tell you the points of thousands of foods. Let’s say you eat a tortilla at a restaurant. They take 3 tortillas and average the nutritional value of the 3 and give you the points of the average. Pretty nifty, huh?
So, you are given a point value based on things like gender, age, if you are nursing (oh ya baby, I get extra points!), height and so on. You add up your points throughout the day and try to eat them all with out going over unless you are using some of your extra 35 free points you get for the week.
Then there is the newer Core Plan. Now, I personally think this rocks, because it is basically how I ate when I lost weight before. On the core plan you get a freakin’ awesome list of healthy foods that you can eat all you want of. You get 35 points for the week to use for things that aren’t on the list, like bread and ice cream. This way you can have a treat and not go nuts that it’s not on the list!
Personally, I think the Core Plan is healthier, but the Flex Plan is by far easier. I’m starting on the Flex Plan this week and counting points.
The Break Down
All right, I get 42 points (32 normally and 10 for nursing). That’s right, I’m fat. Get over it. That’s why were here though, right? Because I need to get skinny, not because I already am. If I was skinny, then maybe I could have named this, "Ha ha, I’m already skinny and you’re not". Just kidding. That would feel nice though, I won’t lie.
I weighed in at 246.6.pounds. OK, that totally sucks. It sucks bad. I want to scream at that. Did I mention it’s sucky?
Size 20.
First Goal is supposed to be 10% of your weight, so that will be a loss of 24 lbs for me.
My Healthy Weight starts at 160 pounds according to WW.
My Personal Goals is to get to 200 again and a size 16, then get to 150!
Day One
Today was fun. Of course it was, because it’s all new stuff. It’s like opening a new present that you get to mess with and play around with. The problem with something like this is that you can get bored of it just like the novelty of the new present may wear off. That’s what’s supposed to be great about WW though, is that you go every week and get support to stay on track. Actually, WW says that people who attend all their meeting and use their etools online are 50% more successful.
I actually ate 11 points under what I’m supposed to, finishing the day at 31 points eaten. I wasn’t going to post what I eat, but isn’t that what you really want to see?
Here goes:
Breakfast: 1.5 cups oatmeal, 1 tbsp. raw agave nectar, 1/2 cup wild organic blueberries Morning Snack: an orange and a small banana Lunch: Garden Veggie Soup (recipe by WW and 0 points), crackers Early Afternoon snack: handful of pecans and handful of grape tomatoes, small banana, a little later I had a McDonald’s vanilla cone (only 3 points)* Late Afternoon snack: G.T.’s Synergy Kombucha, another bowl of the veggie soup, few bites of a tortilla Dinner: tomatoes, sea salt, basil, fresh and minced garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil all baked and served on multigrain pasta.
*Somehow McDonald’s vanilla cones have become my weakness and treat right now. I’m such a hypocrite, I’ll admit it. Don’t start throwing the stones though, I am human. They need to open a Paciugo’s here, like NOW!
What’s Next?
I was right. Doing this made me stop and think about what I was eating. I didn’t have my usual 10 handfuls of chocolate chips today. So sad. That’s OK, I can have them if I want to use all my points/calories on them! What’s the fun in that though? I also think the soup is great, because I get my veggies with very low calories and it’s a filler.
I didn’t like my meeting. My leader was an old lady that had no spunk. She’d ask a question and you could hear the crickets in the back ground. I answered a few times out of pity. I’ll be finding a different meeting.
Basically, when you are overweight, wearing fitting clothes sucks! I have been wearing my loose fitting pants from when I was pregnant. Not very flattering. Actually, Brandon has been waiting for the opportunity to shred them and throw them away. I’m going to have to find a hiding place under a floorboard for when I want them on a bum day! He’ll never know!!! Ha Ha Ha!
We went shopping on our date the other night. It was our first date in over a month and much needed. We hit up Macy’s and Old navy. My husband actually enjoys taking me shopping. He likes to spend money on me, but more importantly he wants to make sure I pick bright colors. That’s right, the man has a strong opinion on colors of clothing. He says I just buy white, black and brown. Well, it’s true. They match everything! So, now I have a closet full or bright orange, yellow and green. I’m not kidding. I’m the big sun walking around.
What size am I? Well, my tops are anywhere from XL to XXL to XXL not even fitting. It just depends. I am in-between a size 18 and 20 for pants, so I bought the 20. Totally a bummer. I can now see all my rolls and pooches. Lovely. I am very uncomfortable. However, instead of getting depressed, I am using my very lousy feeling to get on top of this! We don’t make changes until we are too uncomfortable with our situation. I am squirming with discomfort! Time for a change.
Actually, probably not as much as I would like b/c this really has been a transitional month for me. I am just figuring out what works best for me.
I weighed on Thanksgiving and measured my inches about a week after. I am going to weigh and measure again at Christmas.
So, stay tuned and my gift to you will be lost fat! Don’t go finding it on Christmas and New Years either. The holidays are an excuse to enjoy good food and company, but not an excuse to get hammered and stuff yourself (at least for your health!).
Any successful person will tell you that you must write out goals…period! If you don’t know where you are going, then what they heck are you doing? Jumping into something blind will end up with you smacking into a wall! You’ll have a bruised spirit and give up. My husband reminded me of this and told me to get on top of it. Here are my goals:
Weight
Current weight (at last weigh in) 235 lbs. First goal weight is under 200, so 199 lbs. My second goal weight is 150 lbs. My desired weight is around 135 lbs. My desired size is an 8 or under.
Inches
My goals for inches are a little harder, b/c I just don’t know what they will be, however I am still going to make up a goal. Inches goal: to lose 10 inches at a time. Each time I lose 10 inches it is a time to celebrate!
Exercise
This is a biggie right now. If I don’t move my big butt it will always be BIG! Isn’t that my goal, to be healthy and in shape? Yeah, I’ve got a shape right now, but it’s not the one I want! Walking has not been working b/c of weather and well 3 kids. Going to a gym won’t work right now, b/c we have 1 car that my husband needs for work (that’s right, I’m a SAHM with 3 kids and NO car!).
I have been saying that I want to learn yoga for 10 years now (not kidding). Obviously I didn’t write it down as a goal! Well, now I am.
I am learning yoga and I am starting this week. Brandon is going to get me a DVD at the library. I also told him to get me a hip hop video so I can shake this booty right off!
Other goals: (it’s good to write them in present tense like you are already doing/accomplished the goal)
I am stretching regularly. I am eating a Raw Vegan diet. I am an organized homemaker and mother. I am a role model to those around me in all aspects in life, including, but not limited to health!
