A Mini Victory

 After my stellar weigh in I was ready to face week three of my weight watcher journey.  Or should I say weight watcher journey part two....or three or whatever number I am on.   How about I just call it Weight Watchers Redux?    I had some challenges to get through first though.  Through one of the challenges that I faced I made a huge discovery.....or should I say a 'mini' discovery'

 

The Breakfast Reward

In my last post I talked about a bad habit that I had picked up in the previous months whereby I would stop for a fast food breakfast before going to work when I had to work on a Saturday morning.  Yeah, I know it's bad.  Heck, I even knew it at the time, but that didn't stop me.  In my warped brain I thought I deserved it!   So when my first work Saturday after rejoining WW came up, I knew that I had to stop that habit.   I made sure I ate at home.  I told myself I was being ridiculous when I tried to talk myself in 'just a diet soda' to propel me through these few hours of Saturday morning work.  And I held firm!  No breakfast reward for me.  I set myself up for success through.  I announced it on here.  I also talked to my coworker on Friday night about it and said that I was determined to not do the 'much desired' breakfast.  This coworker that was working with me on Saturday morning knows that I rejoined WW.  So while she may be a bit of enabler (she freely admits it) she also was good accountability in the fact that I didn't want to walk in with my big drink and thus openly declare that I failed.  So I arrived to work with my belly full of fruit and cereal from home and my water to drink.  Victory!

Exercise Begins on Week three of WW

I started WW two weeks ago, I am in week three.  I knew from the get go that I would be restarting an exercise routine shortly thereafter.  And I could have started both at the same time, but I chose to focus on getting into the routine of WW first and then add in the exercise.  Seriously, this was always the plan.  SO much a plan that the same weekend that I signed up for WW, I also joined a gym that is opening near me. (Hopefully within the next few weeks!) 

Well, week three was my set start date for exercise and let me say, I am smashing it!   I know I know, I am only a few days into week three, but I have been active.

We went for a hike on Sunday.

I have managed to exercise at 5 every work morning thus far this week.  I know that is only two mornings thus far....but still it's a start! (And it is only Tuesday as I write this!)

Mini Challenge

Another habit that Jason and I have fallen into is picking up Dairy Queen Blizzards on Saturday night.  Nothing wrong with that, right?   Well.....maybe, have you seen the calories/points on those things!  Ohhh and I didn't get a small.  I didn't even get a medium.  I got the large and probably would have gotten an extra large had then offered that size!     I avoided the blizzard challenge the first weeks of my WW Redux easily, simply because Jason forgot and I didn't remind him.  But the subject came up this last weekend and I had to come up with a plan.

What options did I have?  I could let him get one and then sit and watch him eat it. But I have long ago decided that this journey was not going to be one of total deprivation.  Total deprivation just results in unhappiness and eventual failure, so that wasn't a valid option.    I could get one myself and just damn the consequences.  But I really want to lose this weight so damning the consequences didn't seem right.     Or I could try to come up with an alternative.  I honestly thought about blending a frozen banana to make my own ice cream, but wasn't overly happy with that option.  I have long said. I knew that there was an answer out there somewhere, so I turned to the DQ website and the WW tracker to come up with a workable plan. 

Well first of all, all blizzards are NOT created equal in terms of calories/points.  The Choco Brownie Extreme Blizzard that I had been getting  is  is higher in calories. (Of course)    I quickly figured out that the Strawberry dipped Blizzard was lower!  Yay, I like Strawberries!  The next thing I noticed was the sizes.  The large was still way out of my budget, as was the medium and even the small.  But did you know that they have a mini?   Yes, a mini!  I was leery, not sure what size this was going to be.   Was I going to get two teaspoons of ice cream and that was it?  I wasn't sure what I was going to get, but that was what worked with my food budget.  So a mini is what I got!

I should have taken a picture of the mini beside Jason's large, just to really show the difference.  It was small, I won't lie.  But it was bigger than I had feared it was going to be!  And the best part? It fit into my WW plan (Yes, I used weeklies...but that was the last day of my week and I had them to spare!)  Ohh , and it was delicious!

The Mini Lesson

I was eating my mini DQ Blizzard and made a rather startling discovery.  OK, maybe it shouldn't be very startling, because I have had similar revelations in the past (such as here) .   I admittedly was a bit worried about this small (or rather mini) sized treat. I was afraid that I wouldn't be satisfied, that I would feel deprived.  That this would leave me feeling like I was deprived.   

Instead, the opposite happened.  I ate that mini sized blizzard.  It was absolutely delicious.  I felt satisfied.  I felt good.  I felt like I had enough and wasn't still craving or desiring more.  

What???   A mini satisfied my desires just as well as a large?  I was left pondering!

But then I remembered.  My satisfaction comes from those first few bites of bliss.  I only continue to eat because I am remembering those first few bites of bliss.  I am chasing that bliss.   The mini was absolutely perfect because it allowed me to have that 'high' (The angels sing) but then stopped me from chasing the high.    

It takes willpower, but the mini is a perfect option!

 

It has been a week of relearning, moving forward and staying on track!   

 

 

 

 

I feel the need.......The need for Speed

I plowed right through week two of my re-entrance into the land of WW.  I have now completed two weeks of this plan and thus far I am going strong.   It hasn't been easy, but I'm doing it.

Weigh In with WW

So let me dive right into my weigh in for week two.  Week one I managed to lose 3.7.   I was worried about this week because I had volunteered to bring dinner and dessert to a girls night.  Dessert, really?   I was worried about it.  But I calculated it and planned for it.  I admittedly did lick the spoon when I was done mixing, but I held pretty firm.   The dinner I prepared was veggie pizza and I made a peanut butter pie for dessert. The dinner was cancelled at the last minute......so I took the goodies to work and let my co-workers enjoy.  The thing was,   I had already calculated and budgeted my day to allow for a piece of that peanut butter pie.  I wanted a piece of that pie.  So I had a piece and  I thoroughly enjoyed it!   I ignored it thereafter, even as I watched my coworkers eat it and rave about it!

Otherwise, the week was pretty standard.  I haven't been perfect with my eating, but I have been pretty darn close for sure!  I haven't commenced with the exercise yet.  I know that it's an excuse, but this week was just crazy!  First of all I had a sore butt.....OK it was the muscle that went form my butt cheek down the back of my leg.  How in the wold did I hurt my butt?  Well we went bowling.  I've got nothing else.....bowling!    Secondly, we had a gal quit at work.  That put us short staffed so I am back to shuffling between my job and covering for her....I came home tired each night!  But getting exercies restarted is definitely on my agenda and plans!

 So how did I do with my weigh in this week? This second week of WW, I lost 3.3 pounds.   HIP HIP HURRAY!   Two weeks of nice, solid and respectable losses!  I know that the losses will slow as I lose weight, but for now I am going to enjoy these 3 pound weeks!

Plans and Concerns for Week three of WW

My first challenge for week three will come this morning.  I am typing this early on Saturday morning.  I am scheduled to work this morning which is no biggie.  EXCEPT for the fact that I picked up a bad habit over the last few months.  On the Saturdays that I have worked, I 'treat myself' to breakfast out.  And by a breakfast out, I mean going through the drive through.   Decidedly unhealthy and high calorie/point options.   I am praying for strong willpower to resist the temptation!   It's a habit breaking day.  I can do this!  (Why oh why does it taste so good!)

The second challenge is the weekend meals.  Typically we do eat out more on the weekends and that includes getting a sweet treat.   Of late we had been picking up a Blizzard from Dairy Queen.  Not exactly a low points option.   Last weekend we had just gotten home and Jason said "Oh, we forgot to pick up our Blizzards"   I quickly replied, I didn't forget about it, I just chose to not remind you because I'm not getting one."     And that was the end of the conversation.   So I made it through last weekend. Who knows what this weekend will bring. I am not planning on being totally adverse to getting a sweet treat here and there.......but it will be a challenge because I don't want to wreck my points/calories either!

 I feel the Need....the Need for Speed

  I have lost 7 pounds in two weeks.  I should be incredibly happy! Yet I am not.   Ok, that came out wrong.  I am tickled with the 7 pounds.  However, I have to admit that I am dissatisfied with the fact that it is ONLY seven pounds.  ONLY.  I want this weight to be gone NOW.    I want to be thin and have this losing stuff behind me so I can be back in maintenance.   I want to lose it faster.  Why can't I lose 6 pounds a week?   Why can't I do this......  I want this process to be speedy.   Because yes, I feel the need for speed.

 

I know this need for speed is irrational.  That is not how weight loss happens.  Weight loss is a slow non- linear process.  But that doesn't stop me from wanting it!  It doesn't stop me from wishing for more.   

Luckily, I picked up on something the other week when I first wrote that I was joining WW.   I was reflecting on how I had originally lost the weight with WW.  I decided to go back to old posts and link to those momentous times such as when I first joined WW and then secondly when I made lifetime.   That was the purpose of going back, simply to link to the post.  However, I noticed something while I was doing it.  I noticed the dates of those two momentous occasions. 

 

I had been trying to lose weight on my own.  I would lose a bit and then stall out.  So I decided to join Weight watchers and wrote about it on August 10,2006  I would actually go on to lose about 80 pounds to get to goal.  I wrote and posted religiously throughout my whole journey with WW.  Some of those posts are incredibly boring and honestly painful to read as they are so bland. But I literally wrote almost every day. I didn't figure out the exact number of posts, but I can tell you it was over 500 posts.   But that is not what got me as I reviewed these posts.   What got me is the date of the post where I talked about making lifetime.  I wrote that post on August 5, 2008.  

 

Did you catch those dates?   August  10, 2006  to August 5,2008.    It literally took me 5 days shy of 2 years!    TWO FREAKIN' YEARS!  When I look back at the journey it feels as if it was only a few months of work. Yet it was two years. Two years to lose 80 pounds.   That is an average of .769 pounds a week. One of my greatest life accomplishments was losing that 80 pounds, and I did it with less than a pound a week. 

 

So while I find myself disappointed with  "ONLY" 3.3 pounds, I need to remember that 3.3 is a VERY respectable number.  If I somehow managed to lose 3 pounds a week I would be at goal in 33 weeks....literally by Christmas. So 'only' should not be a word that I use and I should NEVER be disappointed by any loss. And if I only lose .7 pounds a week, I can still reach my goal. 

 

And for the record I know that there will be weeks where I don't lose and I know that the 3 pounds will get harder to to achieve as I continue to lose weight and drop pounds.....my figure of 3 pounds a week is strictly for statistical knowledge only.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it was only

​I had another week where I felt like I was mostly on plan with this healthy living thing.  I also just felt like I was not going to lose any weight.

My week

I was on point almost the whole week.  I had one weekend day where I was a bit higher and a bit over my food budgets but for the most part I was spot on.  I am following the WW plan and that gives A person some weekly points for this extras…and I like to think to ‘live’ so I was actually ok.  

My water consumption was a bit spotty.  I made my goal most days but missed it a few times.  

Exercise I blew it out of the water with a victory!  I did great!  I even upped the intensity with going from aerobics to step aerobics!  It is amazing how something as simple as adding a step up and down makes a difference.  I was doing Zumba and other cardio workouts and many of the steps are similar…except for the step up and step down that is incorporated.  It makes a huge difference in intensity level!!!   I’ve been having a blast!

So my week was mostly victorious in terms of the healthy habits that I have been working to incorporate into my life!  So I have no clue why I was so nervous about any weigh in!

Stress

When will the stress bus leave me alone?  It’s been one thing after another…some things linger…some come and go.   

*Mom’s stroke and her rehab and current t state of course lingers.  

* I had that situstion with my work that started last July with uncertainty about the stability of my job and if I would have a job after the beginning of October

* and of course let’s not forget Axe Boy and his run in with an axe….and of course his long time off of work (he is still off work…it will be at least 4 months off work before he goes back…if he goes back after his next doctors appointment.  

So I’m still struggling with the stress of mom and  still stressed about Jason’s injury and the ongoing single paycheck family status for us.  The work thing righted itself and my job remained secure.   Until Friday when they called us into another meeting.  My current team is now being disbanded…”they are trying to find positions for everyone…but no guarantee and in fact maybe you should look for a job.”  I’m stressed!   

Weigh In 

So I had my weigh in.  I only lost 0.6.  I lost a stinking half pound!   Only a half pound for all my hard work!  What is up with that!   It’s super frustrating!  I wanted to scream with frustration at the scales when I saw my piddly weight loss.  

Even as frustration poured through me, I kept telling myself ‘it wasn’t a gain’.   The only failure is a gain!  A maintain is a victory.  A loss of even an ounce is a a victory!   So being disappointed by a half pound loss is stupid.  But it’s human!

It’s Only

Even as the disappointment settled within me, I turned to closing out my January and calculating my total loss for the month.   I ended the month with a 6.6 pound loss.  Once again I felt disappointed because I wanted more.  And 6.6 seems so tiny.  But then I started to think about something. 

6.6 pounds in one month…if I lost that every month this year…where would I be???   Not good at mental math?  That disappointing monthly total multiples by 13 is 79.2 pounds!  What!!!!   It’s only 6.6 pounds and it would equal 79.2 pounds.  That would put me very close to goal weight….by Christmas!!!  All for a disappointing 6.6 pounds each month. 79.2 is not disappointing!

That made me think about that 0.6 pounds.   If I just say I lost a half pound….that is shameful right?   But in a year ‘only’ a half pound would equal 26 pounds!   That is not shameful at all!  I’ve gained 10-15 pounds in one to two weeks!!!   

So instead of saying ‘it’s only’ we need to look at the long term and see about how it adds up in the long run!!!