Let Go and Begin Again (Comments Welcome.)

[figment814]

My Story
In June of 2001, I received my box of supplies for WW at home. I poured over the materials, and a week later, after returning from a vacation, I dove in. My starting weight was 218.

I followed the program to a T, and was one of the lucky ones who lost quickly. (I truly believe I was lucky, though I also was a bit commando in my approach and was OP every single day those first few months.) I was down 20 pounds by the beginning of August, and about 40 by sometime in October. The next 30 came off a little more slowly, but I vaguely remember that it was probably around March that I hit my goal weight. I never worked out once.

I stayed near there for the next 6 years, with a little fluctuation. Then I quit smoking….and used that as an excuse to put the pounds back on.

So here I am now...ready to let go and begin again!

I had a starting weight of 194.5 on Monday, September 24. Unlike every other time I started, I actually hadn’t planned on jumping back in to WW. (In which case I would always have a “last supper” the night before that was disgustingly high in points and usually revolved around fast food and super size!)

I simply woke up that morning, weighed myself, and said, “I’m done with this!” and jumped in with tracking breakfast. I have been an on again/off again member online for years, and have typically not cancelled my membership in hopes that the money would encourage me to get back on track. It has never been the motivating factor thought, but it made it easier to get back to it.

 

[figment814]

I am going to weight track on the first page. First weight was on a Monday, though regular tracking day is Thursday.

I am actually an every day weigher, but my weight losses and gains usually fall within the "That makes sense range!" and therefore don't upset me.

For instance on 10/3 I weighed 191.4, but had a big meal that day using up all my dailies and about 20 weeklies. So on my tracking day I was up to 192.8, so that is what is below. It didn't upset me, because I expected it. I was back to 191.4 on 10/5. So what seems like a smaller loss this week, may make for a larger loss next week.

9/24 194.6
9/28 193.4 (-1.2)
10/4 192.8 (-.6)
10/11 187.6 (-5.2)
10/18 188.2 +.6 Disney Vacation Weekend (HHN/Food and Wine)
10/25 185.4 (-2.8)
11/1 184.0 (-1.4)
11/8 183.8 (-.2) Disney Vacation Weekend (Off site Food and Wine/AP Fantasyland Preview)
11/15 182.4 (-1.4)
11/21 182.2 (-.2) Usual weigh is on Thursday, weighed in Wednesday, due to not being at home on Thursday.
11/29 180.4 (-1.8)
12/6 178.2 (-2.2)


16.4 pounds gone for good!

 

[figment814]

I am 38, happily unmarried and child-free, also happily in a long term relationship. I love to travel, and particularly love to plan my vacations around amazing restaurants. I love Disney, and as we are DVC owners, I get to be in the most magical place on earth about 3-4 times a year for short trips.

I have a job I really enjoy…and while I’m not wealthy, I am able to live a comfortable life. (It helps not having to save for college educations.)

While I am child-free, I have 4 important “kids” in my life. My DBF has two college age children, and I have two beautiful nieces who are just a tad bit spoiled by their favorite aunt.

I don’t enjoy working out or playing sports, with the exception of swimming. However, my gym is at my work place and there is no way I am putting on a swimsuit there! We have a family house on a lake; and I will spend hours in the water in the summer.

I love anything to do with food, and have started cooking a lot more in recent years. I have also become more adventurous in what I will eat.
My other major hobbies are reading and photography.

 

[figment814]

Food/Diet

I will be following Weight Watchers online and counting points. I will use my weeklies as needed for eating out or special occasions, though ideally I won’t use them all. At this point I am not earning Activity Points, but when I start, I won’t plan on using them.

I have not been great at the good health guidelines, and that is where I need to put more effort.

I am going to focusing on creating a sustainable lifestyle when it comes to food, as how I live now will have to be something I can live with forever in order to stay at goal once I achieve it.

The word diet in my journal will be used to denote a way of eating as in a healthy diet, not a temporary way of depriving myself.

Food part 2

While the WW plan encourages you to eat more healthy foods, I want to commit to a few things more explicitly.
1. Significantly reduce the intake of artificial sweeteners.

• Eliminate sweetener from my morning coffee
• Eliminate soda (this is tough as I am more addicted to diet soda than

anything else.)
2. Eat more fruit and eat more veggies.

• Eating fruit is easy enough, and I have been eating typically two servings a day.
• Not so easy for me, as my favorite raw veggies, cucumbers and tomatoes, give me heart burn. I need to learn to cook more without using butter!

3. Significantly reduce alcohol consumption, no more than once a week.

• After I quit smoking, I used wine for stress relief, and probably a bit too much. I have already been on the once a week kick for the last three weeks, and those have been for special events.
• I no longer keep wine in the house.

4. Reduce intake of carbs.

• Or as I like to call it…eat only good bread. If I’m going to eat a bagel, it’s going to be a real one, not a bagel thin. If I’m going to eat a slice of bread, it’s going to be home-made or from a real bakery. And since these things are higher in points, that will be less likely.

5. Reduce intake of fried foods.

For me this is probably the easiest, but I still think it’s important to remind me that I can make a better choice.
6. Focus on getting my protein and dairy. (Added 10/9)

Workout/Exercise Plan
As I mentioned in the previous post, I HATE working out. If there is a stronger word than hate, use that one. A couple of years ago, I got a personal trainer and it did improve my fitness. But then we pushed to hard, and I had a back injury that laid me out for months. (I couldn’t drive for six weeks and haven’t ridden expedition Everest since.) Then I got a new personal trainer, after the first one move away, and she was wonderful…until SHE had an injury and had to quit. I haven’t been back to the gym since.
I decided to focus on getting the food part on track first, but plan on getting back to the gym and working out after my return from our October Disney trip.

I will be most doing cardio machines to begin with, and am considering do the Couch 2 5k program, but will need to look into it more. I did check out the RunDisney site yesterday, and it almost makes me want to run. Almost.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Hey thanks for posting .. just saw your post over on my journal. Thought I'd pop over here and share something about the Diet Pop issue.

As for the Diet Pepsi. I've been through it before and one thing that I can advise is that when I did cut it out I dropped more weight faster simply because I ended up replacing the pop with water. In fact I hadn't been loosing anything for a bit and then I stopped drink pop and poof, I lost another 10 in a week!!

I really think that the chemicals in the diet soda negatively affect the way our bodies process what we eat.

In addtion I think the water helps flush out our systems, and promote healthy digestion.

I know that there are some studies that have been done on the affects of deit soda on weight loss that have come to similar conculsions.

Good luck in all

 

[figment814]

I posted a version of this in another thread, but I thought it would be good for me to post here, as one of the reasons I started the WISH journal is to hold myself more accountable.

I'll be in WDW this time next week for a long weekend. ..and then again in early November. We own DVC and another timeshare, so we get down a few times a year for shorter trips. I have ALWAYS planned our trips around food, and had aspirations once about eating at every TS on site.

Here is what I will do:

1. Alcohol only one night.-DVC members are currently allowed at the Top of the World Lounge, so we are going there to watch fireworks, I'm planning on having a cocktail or two there. Yes I know it's food and wine fest, but I will save that for our November trip.

2. TRACK, TRACK, TRACK-It is too easy to get out of the habit for me. So even if I have dessert, I will right it down, and estimate points the best I can.

3. Err on the side of proteins over carbs.

4. Eat breakfast in our unit.

5. Check menus and find at least one better counter service option in each park.

Here is what I won't do:

1. Say no to something that I really want because it's too many points.

2. Say yes to something that I don't really want just because it's vacation.

3. Give up when I get back if I have only maintained or gained. (This one will be tougher, but I am DETERMINED!!!!)

So here is a loose version of the plan, which I will update after I have researched some options more. I will use fruits and veggies for snacks, so I haven't assigned points to them.

Thursday
Target points29 (all Dailies, no weeklies)
Breakfast at work5 pts
Lunch at home- 8 points
Dinner-No plan (16 points)

Friday-Magic Kingdom and Halloween Horror Nights at that other park
Target points-38 (all dailies, 9 weeklies)
Breakfast in room5 pts
Lunch-Cosmic Rays (Grilled Chicken sandwich w/out bread and apple slices) or Columbia Harbor House (Lighthouse Sandwich or Vegetarian Chili)
Dinner-No plan

Saturday-Animal Kingdom
Target points 52 (all dailies, 23 weeklies)
Breakfast in room- 5pts
Lunch-Tamu Tamu Refreshments (Slow Roasted Pulled Beef Sandwich or Tandori Chicken Salad)
Dinner-The Wave (Black Bean Chili Wave Autumn Salad or The Wave Cobb or Seasonal Soup or Sustainable Fish Taco or Today's Grilled Sustainable Fish )
Top of the World -2 Drinks (14 points)

Sunday-Epcot
Target points 38 points (all dailies, 9 weeklies)
Breakfast in room-5 pts
Lunch-Food and Wine Fest
Dinner-La Hacienda de San Angel

Monday-Hollywood Studios
Target points-29 points (all dailies, no weeklies.)
Breakfast in Room-5 pts
Lunch No plan
Dinner-At home

 

[figment814]

Hey thanks for posting .. just saw your post over on my journal. Thought I'd pop over here and share something about the Diet Pop issue.

As for the Diet Pepsi. I've been through it before and one thing that I can advise is that when I did cut it out I dropped more weight faster simply because I ended up replacing the pop with water. In fact I hadn't been loosing anything for a bit and then I stopped drink pop and poof, I lost another 10 in a week!!

I really think that the chemicals in the diet soda negatively affect the way our bodies process what we eat.

In addtion I think the water helps flush out our systems, and promote healthy digestion.

I know that there are some studies that have been done on the affects of deit soda on weight loss that have come to similar conculsions.

Good luck in all

Thanks Pumba! I have actually discovered the thing I like the most is fizz, so regular water doesn't cut it, but sparkling does, which I can manage better at home. It's the restaurant that are going to be tough!

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Thanks Pumba! I have actually discovered the thing I like the most is fizz, so regular water doesn't cut it, but sparkling does, which I can manage better at home. It's the restaurant that are going to be tough!

Maybe soda water with lemon .. or with orange juice.

I tend to try the sparkling water with OJ and that usually works.

On an alcohol note: Going back a long, I mean loooog time (possibly my teens when I lived in asia), one of the drinks I used to have was a white wine spritzer. Could be really refreshing in warm FL weather and still get the taste of the wine but with fewer calories and the fizz might help fill you up a bit!!!

BTW - I just opened my last 710ml Diet Pepsi for a while ... gonna savour this one.

 

[figment814]

Yesterday was a pretty good day! I went to lunch at a new place and focused on making a good lifestyle choice. No salads without fun stuff for this girl! I like to eat, and that would derail me from my new lifestyle. I ordered a soup and half sandwich combo, which I didn't realize came with fries! I ate the whole (half) sandwich, but only half the soup (it was a little bit creamy, but not overly so), and only three French fries! ( I counted points for them too!)

I hardly had any diet Pepsi, I had a quarter bottle left from the day before that I finished off.

I only had one sweetener in my coffee.

I had a lower point, but still tasty dinner. Egg white omelet, and polenta with laughing cow.

I dipped into my weeklies, but just a smidge.

Today will be a bit of a challenge as my nieces are coming over and have requested, as always, pizza and ice cream. Need to figure out what I'll eat instead!

 

[figment814]

Saturday 10/6

Didn't do so hot cutting out the diet soda yesterday, went to see my nieces cheerlead, and it was freezing out and I really wanted coffee. But all they had was hot chocolate. I don't like to drink my calories or points, so I went for the DP. I also had some diet Pepsi in the evening when I ordered nieces pizza.

The good news is that while I ordered pizza for them, I made some point friendly tacos for myself. We also stopped to get ice cream, and while I did get some of the full fat variety, I opted for the kiddie size of my favorite: Gold Medal Ribbon.

 

[figment814]

Sunday 10/7

I didn't have any plans yesterday after my nieces left, so I took advantage of the free day and accomplished alot!

Cooking
I made carrot ginger soup from skinnytaste, and it smelled so fragrant while I was making it so I had hopes. It doesn't taste quite as good as I expected, but it is still a good way to get some veggies in. The website says it freezes well, so two servings went in the freezer, and two are in the fridge to eat this week.

I also made chili with the Frontera chili starter. It just a jar of the good stuff and then you add ground beef. A serving of the starter is just one point! I'm now tempted to just eat that, but I added the ground beef anyway. It is AWESOME! I added a little fat free sour cream and shredded low fat cheddar. I would eat again even if I through out my new lifestyle!

I also made two batches of pumpkin cake/muffins. I have been eating these for breakfast. It is a box of cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and a little water. They are very filling tasty, plus one bunch lasts two weeks. I like to freeze them and heat them up in the microwave. I made one dark chocolate, which I have never made before, and one spice cake.

I also created fruit and veggie snack packs for work: blueberries, cherry tomatoes, celery, and green grapes! Portion control!

Eating
To be honest, I struggled a bit yesterday, and I'm not sure why. At the end of the day, I just was still hungry and didn't feel satisfied, and could not figure out what my body needed, so I just kept snacking. I almost didn't get on the scale this morning, but I did and saw a loss from yesterday, so I'm thinking my body did need what I gave it to rev up the metabolism! Since it's not an official weigh in day for me, I won't reveal the number just yet.
I have plans to go out tonight, and have been saving my points, but it will probably play with my weight a bit anyway.

As for diet pepsi, I did pretty good, but I then I let myself get to hungry and while I was at the grocery store I bought a one. But this is a marathon, not a sprint. It is my eventual goal to get it out of my diet completely, it is not my number one priority just yet.

Clothes and shopping

I went to Kohls yesterday, as I had $10 in Kohls cash. I had no plan on what to buy, but who can let that go to waste? I wandered around and found a few cute tops available in XXL, but I would have to throw in at least $20. And then I thought, why buy clothes in a size that you aren't going to be wearing soon? And I put them back, and got a pair of earrings that were $1.20 after spending the Kohls cash.

When I got home, I decided to try on all the jeans in my closet. (This does not include the jeans that are in storage that I've been telling myself I can wear someday...even if they are out of style.)

I have actually kept my biggest pair of jeans in my closet as I reminder, from when I lost the weight 11 years ago. They were a little to close to fitting, and not in a good way. They are a size 18.

Even through putting on 45 pounds or so, I have been able to stay at about a size 12. I call this size manipulation. At my smallest, I was generally a size 8-10 in pants. (I did have one pair of size 6 pants, but that was not the norm.) But at size 8 I was wearing a slim fit, and at my current size 12, I'm going for curvy fit. (I am bigger on top, so dresses at my smallest were 12-14, and tops were usually size large.)

I divided them up into categories: Fit perfectly, Fit not quite perfectly, Can button and zip but should never ever be worn in public, and can't get past my hips. Yep, I have kept these in my closet for years.

Journaling
As many others have said in their journals, I am journaling mainly for myself. But I think I am also doing it for that person like me. I have read a number of journals that started months or years ago, and I have found being able to get the full picture of someone's journey so inspiring. It is good to see the ups and the downs, and how challenges were overcome. So for that future person who reads this, know that I was in your shoes once, excited and a little bit apprehensive.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Hey .. well it sounds as if you've gotten off to strong start. Don't mind the fact that you struggled a bit. We all do, and see you were actually down from the preious day!!!! AWESOME!!!

I'm still stuggling with the Diet Pepsi as well. My wife brought home a 12 pack as all pop was on-sale and I had yet to inform her of my decision to cut it out. I didn't have the heart to tell her.

Keep it up ... I like the idea that our journals may insipire others later on down the road. As you said, it helps knowing that it CAN be done and that the bumps in the road aren't unique to us alone.

Have a great week!!!

Hey, I just wanted to share with you something I re-read.... MY old journal .... WOW! I did pretty good back in 2010. I'm going to resurect some of those thoughts and actions moving forward. The funny thing is ... I'm at the same starting weight I was when that journey started.... LOL.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2561011

 

[figment814]

Hey .. well it sounds as if you've gotten off to strong start. Don't mind the fact that you struggled a bit. We all do, and see you were actually down from the preious day!!!! AWESOME!!!

I'm still stuggling with the Diet Pepsi as well. My wife brought home a 12 pack as all pop was on-sale and I had yet to inform her of my decision to cut it out. I didn't have the heart to tell her.

Keep it up ... I like the idea that our journals may insipire others later on down the road. As you said, it helps knowing that it CAN be done and that the bumps in the road aren't unique to us alone.

Have a great week!!!

Hey, I just wanted to share with you something I re-read.... MY old journal .... WOW! I did pretty good back in 2010. I'm going to resurect some of those thoughts and actions moving forward. The funny thing is ... I'm at the same starting weight I was when that journey started.... LOL.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2561011

I'll head over to the old journal on my lunch break!

 

[figment814]

I grew up in a family that anything less than a clean plate was unsatisfactory. Because of this, I believe that I never truly understood how to read my hunger signals. As I got older, I continued to make the choice of eating whatever was on my plate, I just was eating food that was progressively worse for me. I in no way shape or form blame my parents for my weight issues, because I believe their intentions were good and pure. (They didn't believe in wasting food.) I do think though that the “clean plate” philosophy started me down the road to being overweight.

I read somewhere that people who are “naturally thin” are never full or overstuffed. (I’m para-phrasing here.) I asked a few of my friends who have always been thin, i.e. a very un-scientific study, and they said it was pretty much true. They both could recount a couple of times they stuffed themselves to the gills, but it wasn’t a semi-regular occurrence for them, like it was for me.

I remember the first time I lost the weight I would go to bed hungry, and being slightly happy about that. I was controlling my hunger and weight, my hunger wasn’t controlling me. Over the years, I have slowly lost the ability to read my body’s need for food.

The last two days I have eaten well during the day, but at night, I would be “hungry” for something. I just can’t read my body well enough yet to determine what it really needs right away. Last night I went out for drinks and snacks with a friend of mine, I had saved mucho points, but when I got home, I immediately went to the fridge because my body “needed” something. First, I grabbed a turkey corn dog (4 pts) had a few bites, before I dropped it on the floor. (I had had two strong drinks.) Next, I heated up some frozen egg muffins (3 pts), but they did not taste right. Finally, I grabbed some peanut butter and crackers, and it clicked. Protein, my body was craving protein. I had a muffin for breakfast, chili and yogurt for lunch, and a cheese stick in the afternoon. I had also gotten in two servings of fruit and two veggies during the day. But at the bar we had fritters, popcorn, spice bread, and cotton candy. (It was one of those froufy places where simple foods are fancified…and I loved every bite.)

So, I’m adding this to my goals, Eat more protein. I am also adding Eat more dairy.

Bonus: Because I knew I wouldn’t be eating well, I walked the two miles to the bar to meet my friend.

 

[figment814]

First things first...today is my weigh in day, and I was completely shocked, amazed and astounded at what I saw. I knew I was having a good week because I do weigh myself everyday, but the scale dropped 2 pounds since yesterday!! YESTERDAY.

I lost 5.2 pounds this week!!!

Now I know this is not going to be a regular occurrence, but it is definitely great to see particularly since I leave for Disney World today!

The catalyst for my journal is to keep me on track for times like these, because this is when I almost always get derailed. In an earlier post I outlined my plan, so I won't copy all of that here, but I will add a few more details of what I have done and will do the next few days:

1. I have packed portioned out servings of oatmeal to eat for breakfast each day.
2. I have also packed portion servings of almonds and a couple of fiber one cookies for "desserts."
3. The rest of the gang lands about 2 hours before I do and they will be hitting the grocery store some time tonight. I have given them a list of fruits and veggies to keep in the room for snacks and to add to breakfast.
4. I have packed some workout clothes and plan to take an additional walks in the morning before the hordes wake up. (Did I mention that we are traveling with 3 college age boys, and 1 college age girl?)

I don't want to set myself up for failure, but I would really like to be in the 180's still when I return...even if it's 189.9. This would allow for a two pound weight gain, which is more than generous I think, since it's only a short 4 day trip.

That stuff is all the easy part, the mental part is what is tough!

Also, in order to keep myself honest, I will be attempting to post here regularly.

Thanks for listening cybesrpace.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Congrats on the loss.

Keep up the good work and it's good to have realistic expectations when travelling. But it looks to me like you are setting yourself up in a great way with the preportioned stuff.

Good luck and look forward to hearing when you return.

 

[figment814]

I'll call this my WW trip report!

Today is travel day, but I am starting off with a half day of work.

Breakfast is (3 points total)
Coffee-0 pts
Greek Yogurt-3 pts
Blueberries-0 points

Lunch will be (6 pts total)
Egg White salad wrap-3 points
Celery
Cherry tomoatoes
Almonds-3 points

Afternoon Snack will be (2 pts total)
Cheese stick-2 pts
Small banana-0 pts

Second afternoon snack (4 pts total)
Pumpkin Spice muffin-4 pts

Dinner (14 pts...I mean 13 pts)
This will honestly probably be a slice of pizza from the Boardwalk, My flight doesn't land until after 8 p.m. (Hence snack the second afternoon snack.)
My family will be out gallivanting around Orlando, with my blessing, and I will be on my own. If I'm not too tire or hungry, I may try and snag a seat at Flying Fish or Kouzzina, but I'm being realistic.

Oh no! I just realized I dropped a daily point from 29 to 28.

 

[figment814]

With a few minor adjustments I stayed on track pretty well I think!

I kept the breakfast, lunch and snacks pretty much as written in the previous post.

For dinner, I arrived much earlier than expected. So I snagged a table at kouzzina and enjoyed a nice meal. Started with avgolemano and had spanakopita for my main course. If you are to believe my WW search, I actually stayed within points. I think those points are a bit conservative, but I think I am still okay as I just out of dailies.

One day down, 4 to go!

 

[figment814]

Well, we are dealing with some family stuff that I didn't expect to deal with, so the day has been tougher than expected. I started well by taking a 3.2 mile walk, and then returned to the room and ate my oatmeal and grapes. I ended up having a 6 oz beer at food and wine before meeting back up with my BF.

Had lunch at Captains Grill, an open face beef sandwich that was amazing. I chose the orzo salad over the fries and didn't eat the bread.

Tonight we are heading to HHN, and a late night will mean weird eating patterns. Right now, I'm just laying by the pool, relaxing and reading my book.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Enjoy hhn I haven't been in years.


Just keep making the best decisions you can. It will pay off in the end. Good luck