Tuesday Meeting Update

I lost 1.6 pounds at Weight Watchers last night. I am quite happy with that! We talked about exercise and getting 30 minutes most days of the week, so this week I need to work on getting more of it in. I hurt the back of my foot and walking at times has become very hard. I think it will heal with time, I need to try to see what I can do on it though. Off to have a great week.

Weight Watchers Week in Review

Last week we were challenged to eat 3 different colored fruits or vegetables each day. This was a pretty easy challenge for me. At weight in I lost 2.6 pounds. I was really pleased with the week. I tracked which always makes a difference for me.

Our meeting this week was about vacationing. Here were some tips that I got:
1. Vacations should be about stress relief.
2. Vacations should be about taking care of yourself.
3. Vacations are "normal days."
4. Build in snacks.
5. Tame the buffet. (Order off the menu or start with fruits and veggies first to fill up and don't forget about setpoints.)
6. Fill half plate with vegetables.
7. Enjoy special foods in moderation.
8. Sip wisely.
9. Check out new activities (get in some exercise.)

Our challenge for this week is to fill 1/2 of my plate with fruits and/or vegetables at each meal. This one seems harder, but I am going to try to do it because I know that fruits and vegetables are filling foods and will keep me fuller.

My goals:
1. Track my food.
2. Drink enough water
3. Fill 1/2 my plate with fruits and vegetables for each meal.

I am losing again!

I went to my meeting on Tuesday. I had tracked all week. (Something I had not been doing well.) I went on a small vacation this weekend and ate a little more than I usually do, but I also got a lot of walking in too. When I got home I wanted to weigh myself. My scale was broke! So, I waited until my meeting thinking I gained again or maintained. Well, I lost 1 pound, not a lot but I am getting back in the right direction!

This week we talked about fruits and vegetables. I learned that a lot of them have specific benefits to our health. This week we are taking a challenge to eat more fruits and vegetables and specifically to eat three different color fruits or vegetables. We have a chart to write this down on to bring back.

I know that tracking and getting more serious about my points is why I was able to lose weight this past week. I think when you have a lot of weight to lose like I do, it is really harder to stick to it. I know though that it is a lifestyle change, but it is easy to slip back into old habits and let yourself go wild.

Yesterday was an easy but hard day for me. I ate a lot of filling foods and stayed full most of the day and was still full after dinner when I had 19 points left! I get 32 points which is a lot to start with. Here's my food log to give you an idea of what I am talking about:

Wednesday July 8
Breakfast
1/2 cup egg beaters- 1 point (FF)
1/4 cup onions- 0 points(FF)
1/4 cup mushrooms- 0 points(FF)
1 Weight Watchers Cheese Single- 1 point
1 Light English Muffin- 1 point
1 cup strawberries- 0 points(FF)

Lunch
1 cup lettuce- 0 points(FF)
1/2 cucumber- 0 points(FF)
1 Tablespoon RF Parmesan Cheese- 0 points
1 small tomato- 0 points(FF)
1/4 cup onions- 0 points(FF)
2 tablespoons RF Ranch Dressing- 2 points
1 cup grapes- 1 point(FF)

Snack
5 cups fat free popcorn- 1 point

Dinner
Beef Stuffed Pepper- 4 points(FF)
1 cup lettuce- o points(FF)
1/4 cup onions- 0 points(FF)
1/2 cucumber- 0 points(FF)
1 tablespoon RF Parmesan Cheese- 0 points

Snack
Orange Cream Smoothie with 1 cup skim milk- 3 points(FF)
5 cups fat free Popcorn and 2 teaspoons canola oil- 4 points
Banana- 2 points(FF)
Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich- 2 points
3/4 cup Cereal- 2 points
1 cup skim milk-2 points(FF)
4 pieces candy- 4 points
Total Points- 32 used
Fruits and veggies- 9
Milk- 4
Liquids- 8 cups
Oils- 2
Lean Protein-2
Vitamin- check

Notes: I packed my lunch to eat somewhere else, but next time I do a salad I plan to add some meat to it to add points earlier in the day. Maybe eat a snack between breakfast and lunch. The funny thing was that I ate so many filling foods that I really felt full all day.

My Birthday and thoughts for the week

Well, today is my birthday. I have so many things I need to do around the house, but I don't want to! LOL! It is so pretty out today, not very warm, but pretty! So I think this morning I am taking my 2 year old and going to the track to walk. It's what I really want to do today. (I would have never said that before I starting losing weight!) So, I'm going to go do it. Tonight I am going to a book club, its our first meeting and I am really excited about it. We don't get paid until Friday so I really do not think that we will be doing anything special until this weekend!


I went to my meeting last night. I did not even write about my meeting last week. I gained 6 pounds and was a little mad at myself for not doing so well during Easter. I decided to do really good last week and I lost 3.8 pounds, not too bad! So, this week I want to do good too! We talked about the power of a pencil. You probably get where this is going. We need to track. Our leader said if we kind of track, we will kind of see result, but if we really track we will really see results! I want to see results, so I plan to do a good job of tracking this week. I also want to continue my walking so I can prepare for the 5k race. So, that's my goals for this week.

Meeting Topic: Making Restaurant Food "Fit"

Tonight's topic was Making Restaurant Food "Fit." Our leader held up a Subway paper that they put on your tray and she had the number 5.8 on it and she asked it what that number meant. Well ends up the 5.8 is the average number of days most people eat out. So, if eating out is part of our lifestyle, we have to learn to incorporate it in our healthy eating plan.

There are two priorities when eating out. First, plan ahead. There are lots of ways to do this. Ask your favorite restaurant if they have pamphlets on the nutrition facts of the food they serve, many do. Go online to the restaurants website and check there for information. Weight Watchers also offers a Dining Out Companion book that has lots of restaurants information included in it. Check out your weekly books from Weight Watchers many have ideas in them for eating out. Know what you are going to eat before you go out. If you out with others order first because after you hear what everyone else is ordering, you will be more likely to be talked in to getting something else. Second, enjoy yourself when eating out.

Our leader also gave some tips for managing eating out.
1. Study menu/ ask how selections are prepared
I have found that some restaurants are more helpful with answering questions than others. But, I still ask! Sometimes I feel stupid for asking so many questions, but I know my weight loss goals are important. So, I continue to do it!

2. Trim visible fat/ remove skin
I know some people say the skin is the best part, but it is also high in fat and other stuff we don't need.

3. Butter, gravy, dressings, on the side.
I always ask for dry potatoes when I eat out and if it's not there, I won't eat it! I eat fat free ranch on my baked potatoes. You can also put some dressing on your fork and then get some salad and eat it like that. Our salads don't have to be dripping in dressing.

4. Ask for baked potatoes instead of fries, skim milk, salad instead of slaw.

5. Skip the bread.
Tell the server not to bring the bread basket. Personally, I love bread and if I eat out that's one thing I really want so I limit myself to one piece on special occasions.

6. Know how much is too much
Many restaurants serve 3-4 times the serving size so be ready to get a doggie bag. Ask for it up front so you can make it more portion friendly. I like to order a lunch size, that is usually plenty of food.

7. Avoid "All You Can Eat" restaurants
Many people like to eat their money's worth and when you are watching what you are eating, you do not feel like are getting it and there are always desserts too, which bring in more temptation. I like to eat at Ponderosa. This steakhouse has a bar that comes with your entree. We like to go there because our kids eat free or for a very small price. I order a chicken meal and while I wait for that, I fill up on salad. By the time I am done with that, my chicken meal comes. I ask for my baked potato to be dry and then I get some fat free ranch off of the salad bar and put that on there. When the kids are full they hit the dessert bar and I go get some fruit. That usually satisfies my sweet tooth. The kids usually want my fruit. lol! We don't go out a lot but this is where we like to go when we get the money.
~
Finally, our leader left us with a quote:
Small Size Portions, Small Size Jeans Tomorrow!
~
At weigh in, I lost 0.6 pound. oh well, I did realize that since I gained, I have 6 pounds to lose to get another 10%. That means I will have lost 20% of my body weight since going to weight watchers. Remember I lost 25 pounds on my own online before going to the meetings, but they don't count that. Anyways, 6 more pounds is my goal right now. I really want to see that! A 20% body weight loss is a big deal! I must do good this week!

"Why Did I Do That?"

Why Did I Do That? That was the theme of our meeting this week. How do we know when it is true hunger? If it's not true hunger why are we eating? Our leader said we needed to use the Weight Watchers Tool for living reframing to help us with this situation.

Reframing is a process for finding better ways to get what you want or better ways to satisfy the positive intentions behind negative behavior.

To use reframing, we need to first ask ourselves, What habit do we want to stop? Then ask ourselves What does the behavior get for you? How does it benefit you in some way? Then ask, What non-food behaviors will get you the same benefit? and finally Which of these behaviors will you try?

I gained 3 pounds this week. Now I am really frustrated because I really did nothing different than the past two weeks that I lost over 2 pounds each week. The only thing I think it might be is that I started today and it is water weight gain? I am just so frustrated because as soon as I start to get out of the 240's I get deeper into them :(

Meeting Notes and Weekly Goals

Tonight our topic was on moving more. Our leader had a bag full of different things and pictures. Some included tennis shoes, treadmill, bicycle,can of soup, a jump rope, a towel, a ball, and a dumbbell. Our leader was trying to show us that we could use any of those things to help us move more. Many of them really did not even cost a lot of money. So, you can exercise even on a budget. I know I need to move more and I am only having one goal this week. I want to move more. Today, I got my Wi back out. I did a 3 minute warm up with the basic step aerobics and then I did 30 minutes of the advanced step aerobics and then back to the 3 minute basic step aerobics for a cool down. I did that this morning and it really made a difference in my energy level today. I did not feel as tired and I still do not feel that tired. I feel energized and it is almost midnight. Don't worry, I'm going to bed soon! I know a lot of people say you can't get a good workout with the Wi, but I always break a sweat doing the things I do!

I am really happy with my weigh in this week. I feel like I am getting back on track and going in the right direction! I lost 2.4 pounds this week! I hope these two weeks can continue, so I can get to my 100 pound goal a little faster! I'm sooo close!

Meeting Notes and Weekly Goals

This week the theme of the meeting was Stages of Change.

5 Stages of Change
1. Pre-contemplation- Unaware or denying there is a problem or not seeing it as serious.
This time for me was when I was having children. I kept saying after I have all my children then I will worry about what I am eating.

2. Contemplation- Becoming aware of a need to change. Deciding to change and weighing the pros and cons.
This time for me was when I cut my finger in the kitchen and had to go get stitches and found out what my weight was and that my blood pressure was super high. This was my "wake up" call!

3. Preparation- Gathering information, equipment, supplies, learning the "how-to's", learning to weigh/measures food, journaling food etc.
This time for me started by learning everything I could about Weight Watchers online. I did it on my own for 2 months and decided I needed the meetings. I started measuring food, writing down everything I ate.

4. Action- Starting to practice helpful behaviors, recording what he/she is doing, noticing what does/doesn't work, keep practicing until it was "normal"
Most of the big changes I have made, I continue to do or they have become a lifestyle for me or "normal."

5. Maintenance- Sustaining new behaviors, (new habits) over time.

6. Relapse- Experiencing a full or partial return to previous behaviors, often accompanied by negative feelings and a return to earlier stage.
I think this happened to me at Christmas time! I let myself eat whatever I wanted for about 5 weeks and I paid for it at the scale. I am just now recovering from that mistake!

"The elevator to success is out of order. You have to use the stairs....one step at a time."

"Change comes from within."

I lost 2.8 pounds this week, which made me feel so much better.

Goals for the week
1. Journal!
2. Exercise!
3. Eat my 5 servings of fruits and veggies!

Meeting Notes and Weekly Goals

Well, it's Tuesday again, the day I go weigh in and get some information that usually motivates me. I had a bad week. I had a bad cold and could not breathe so that made exercise hard. Oh, here I go with an excuse but that's really true. I stayed the same this week. Which is okay by me! I just really want to lose some weight this week! I needed a good meeting and that's what I got.

This week was on Tracking. Our leader started off showing us her calendar for March. It is already filled in for almost everyday. She said she had to write down what she had to do or she would never remember. That's kind of like what tracking our food is for us. We track our food for several reasons or advantages.

Advantages for tracking food
1. Limits amounts of food you eat.
2. Increases awareness of both eating and activity.
3. Helps you stay accountable.
4. Gives you valuable feedback.
5. Helps explain what happens at the scale.
6. Gives you a history of success.

We then talked about the different ways to track. Weight Watchers provides us with a lot of them including the paper tracker you get at meetings, the 3 month journal, the points calculator, the new points clicker, and e-tools. All of these track in different ways. I favor tracking what I ate by writing it down. Some prefer to just use the calculator or the new clicker.
We then talked about alternatives to tracking. Personally, I never tried the CORE program, so I can't give any advice about it, but the new Simply Filling Technique is suppose to be a lot like that program.

Simply Filling Technique in 3 Simple Steps
1. Eat simply filling foods.
2. Eat portions that feel right.
3. Use your weekly points allowance.

Simply Filling:
Keeps you feeling satisfied longer between meals.
Prevents you from overeating.
Helps you lose weight.

Someone also gave the pumpkin fluff recipe. I have had this and it is really good. I like it with gingersnap cookies.

Pumpkin Fluff
15oz can pumpkin
1 pkg. fat-free sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix
1 c. skim milk
8 oz. container Cool Whip Free, thawed
2 tsp. pumpkin spice
Using a mixer, blend pumpkin with dry pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Chill.
Serves 6
Nutrition Information: 116 cal., 0.3 fat, 2.9 fiber

Our leader ended with these quotes: "The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.
and
"Monitor yourself....Improve.

Goals for this week
1. Stay on points
2. Exercise.........
3. Be positive.
4. Try to get out of the slump that I am in!!!!

Meeting Notes and Weekly Goals

(This picture was taken after my meeting on Tuesday.)

I tried to get on here yesterday, but my computer would not let me log in to any site. I finally found that the problem was K9, a program that helps us protect my son when he is on the computer.

This week we talked about being successful. Successful people don't quit. so, the next time you feel like quitting remember you won't be successful if you do. We reviewed the Habits of Highly Effective Members. These are found in the Weight Watchers book 3. There is a quiz in there to help you know which ones you need to work on. I took the test the first time with the Flex Plan and since being on Weight Watchers for awhile, I took it again when I got my new book 3 for the Momentum Plan. Here are some that we reviewed and how I am working on them.

Habits of Highly Successful Members

1. Ask for help-I feel like I am okay on this habit. I know what I am not doing. I try to keep myself around motivating people and that helps me too.

2. Learn from experience- Maybe I need to take some time to reflect on what was working in the past to stop the yo-yoing? I know what I was doing in the past worked, so I need to rely on that.

3. Manage your environment- With kids this is kind of hard for me. I have tried really hard though, to surround us all with healthier food choices. The whole family eats the same dinner as I eat. My kids and dh have been wanting foods that I have stayed away from like macaroni and cheese, and other things. But I think I have done pretty well in this area.

4. Manage your feelings- I know that I need to work on this one. I do sometimes eat for my feelings and I need to watch this one more.

5. Manage your thoughts- We talked a lot about this one. Trade negative thoughts for positive ones. Sometimes I say, I'll never reach my goal it seems too big. I need to look more at all of the positive stuff that I have accomplished.

6. Monitor yourself- I do pretty good with this. I love counting points and writing down what I eat. There have been a few days when I do so good and then just mess up at night and not write it all down.

7. Prepare yourself- I feel pretty good about this one. I try really hard to plan my menus and know ahead of time what I am going to eat. If I go out to eat, I like to know what I am going to get before going. I think this has been one of the key things that has helped me stay successful- PLANNING!

8. Take care of yourself- As a mother of 4, I often neglect taking care of myself. This is one I know I need to work on.

After taking the quiz this time here are the areas I need to work on:

Taking care of yourself was my highest (which was also the same as the last time I took it) Managing your feelings was second, and Managing my environment was third.

I am so frustrated right now. I see change, but I don't see it on the scale. I have been fighting to get out of the 240's since last October. Now I get to 244 only to go back to 248. I did not eat all of my points several days last week after getting a tooth out and having some problems with it. But, it just still kills me. I want to do better this week, but I have this cold and I just can't breathe! I have had times that I have gained that much only to lose like 5-7 pounds the next week, so I really do not know what is going on. I have not seen 244 since I went to the hospital with my little girl and now it starts creeping up again. I only gained 1.2 pounds this week, but somehow I am creeping back up again. The biggest thing that I can't get back in a routine with is exercise and I know that is what is preventing me from being as successful as I can so I really need to work on this. I just need to get over this nasty cold. My poor nose is so raw from wiping so much and nothing is really helping to get the congestion to go away. Yesterday, I just felt like eating all day. Why do we want to eat when we are sick? Maybe comfort? I took a picture after my last meeting though that I feel shows I am still losing, but I know in my heart that I am just not doing so well. I have had a lot going on the past two months, but I want some results. Right now I do not feel very successful so this was a good meeting for me. I just wish I felt well enough to do something about it!

Weekly Goals:

1. Take care of myself this week so I can get better.

2. Try to add exercise in this week. (I say try because right now I can't breathe)

3. If I recognize that I am eating for a feeling, I will go write about it in my journal instead of eating or if I already ate it write about what made me eat it and how I can stop doing that.

4. I want to have a good week and lose at least 2 pounds, but we shall see.

5. Read the new Weight Watchers Magazine that I bought at the meeting and write a review of at least one article that impressed me.

Weight Watchers Meeting Notes and Weekly Goals

Part one: What's in my lunch bag?

Last night our meeting started off with our leader showing us her, "lunch bag." Weight Watchers has a really cool new insulated lunch bag that the new member supplies for the year come in. So, I guess she was trying to promote it with this demonstration, but it was a really good demonstration. She took the food out of her bag. Here's what she had:


1 Twin pack of Little Debbie's Zebra Cake 8 points!

Instead of eating that here's what else she had in her bag that equaled 8 points

1 banana

1 cup of grapes

1 orange

1 apple

2 pieces light whole wheat bread

5 cups Fat Free Microwave Popcorn

You can have all of that food for 8 points. That's a lot of food. I think I'd be pretty full. On the new Momentum Plan, that is what you try to do eat more foods for your points. Usually those foods are going to be filling foods. All of those listed above, except the zebra cake, are filling foods. Filling Foods are foods that will keep you fuller longer. And get this, you can even eat that zebra cake if you want! Weight Watchers gives you the freedom to eat some "extras" with your 35 Weekly Points Allowance. I used to be scared to use those points, but they are built in the program. I still have a good weight loss when I use them and I don't feel deprived of my favorite foods. In fact, those points let me LIVE! This weekend is Valentine's Day, so that would be a perfect opportunity to use those points. I have a birthday party that I plan to use them at. I always cringe when people say you can't use those points and still lose weight. I know a lot of people who use all their WPA and lose better than they were when they were not using the points. If you watched Biggest Loser last night, Bob was getting one of his teams to eat more. Some people have a hard time with trying to lose weight and eating more, but your body needs the points you are given for a reason. Some people who exercise a lot tend to not lose a lot. There could be many reasons for it, but one is that they are not eating enough. Sometimes you need to eat your activity points to keep up with what your body is burning. I know it sounds crazy, but it really does work. So, don't be scared to use WPA and activity points!

Part 2: Liquids

Our meeting was about liquids. A lot of people have a big concern with what Weight Watchers has done with this Healthy Guideline. On the Momentum Plan you just have to have 6 cups of liquids. Although book 1 states that, Water is best," any liquid now counts toward this healthy guideline. Some things that count now are beer, wine, (neither of which I drink), colas, juice, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and soup to name a few. The soup one kind of threw me for a loop! I think water does help in metabolism and is important for weight loss, but many dietitians will tell you that you can have weight loss without water intake. I also watched the show, The Doctors, while I was in the hospital and they said that there is a lot of new research out about water since a girl was in a water drinking contest and died because she drank too much. They said that your body will tell you how much water you need and you should listen to your body. I trust Weight Watchers and I know that they change their programs based on new research, so there has to be a reason for it. I also know that people seem to be losing more weight with the Momentum Plan than they were with the old Flex Plan so something must be right about it. I plan to still drink my water as part of my weight loss program.

Weight In Results: -1.2 pounds (After the week I had, I'm happy with that!)

Goals For this week:

1. Drink the recommended liquids for the week.

2. Exercise at least 5 days.

3. Use my meal plan as a way to stay on track this week.

Hope everyone has a great on point week! :)

My Weight Watchers Meeting

Well, for some reason, we did the same lesson as last weeks. The one that I went to another meeting. It was about hunger again. I got my new book on tracking, so after I read it which will be today, hopefully, I will write up my goals for the week. I lost 2 pounds!

My GREAT Day!

Today I decided to go to a Weight Watchers meeting in another county because I missed mine on Tuesday and I missed the week before because I was in the hospital with my son and I really needed the boost that a meeting gives me. My husband works in the county where I went to the meeting. I met him at work and changed cars and gave him the kids. He took the kids to Burger King play land to play and eat dinner. They were so ready to go play after being cooped up for the past 3 weeks. I really liked the meeting. We talked about hunger. The physical hunger which most of us have never felt what real physical hunger is because we have really never been without any more. Then we talked about Emotional hunger. A lot of people eat for emotional reasons. Eating for that reason just does not cure the problem and it becomes a vicious cycle. Then we talked about managing your feelings. What can we do to manage our feelings that does not involve eating. First, we should track our body signals. In Weight Watchers, we use the tracker and now the bottom has a place where before and after each meal, you can chart how hungry you were. This is a good sign to me as to when I need to plan for my points that I seem to be the most hungry. Second, notice which emotion tends to make you eat. Bordem is one that hits me a lot. Third, you need to think of nonfood responses to help you get through that emotion. I think exercising is a good response, some others that were mentioned were a hot bath, reading, etc. Then we also need to listen in meetings for more strategies. I love to hear ideas in my meetings and I think that is why I had such a good experience at this meeting. sometimes, I feel like I am the only one talking at my meetings. So, this was a good experience for me to learn some new things. Not that I want to abandon my meeting, I like it! I think that you need to plan in advance, Weight Watchers calls this Mental Rehearsing. Know in advance what you are going to do to get through an emotion. For example, if you start to feel bored, have a list of some things you can do when you get that feeling. Then when the feeling comes you will know exactly what to do and the eating temptation can be eliminated! Well, overall it was a really good meeting and when I met the kids at Burger King, I decided to wait and stop at Subway to get my dinner. Yes, my meeting pumped me up that much. After getting the kids to bed, I played with my Wii some more. I am now doing the advance step aerobics and I love it. I also tackled some hula hooping, but I need some more practice on that! I ended up exercising with my Wii for 2 hours today. I did a 30 minute morning session and a 30 minute afternoon session during nap time, and then I did an hour after the kids went to bed. So, I had a GREAT day!
This week I commit to:
1. Exercise at least 30 minutes everyday.
2. Drink all of my water for the day.
3. Stick to the program and the 9 Healthy Guidelines.
4. Use my blog for support and asking for help.
5. Make a list of emotions that I eat for and a list of what I can do instead.
6. Everytime I think I am hungry, I am going to put my hand on my stomach and ask myself if I am really hunger. (The leader asked us to commit to doing that this week.)

Oh and by the way, I gained a pound this week. I don't know if it was hospital food ,stress, lack of exercise or what, but I am moving forward with a hope to lose something this week!

50 pounds!!!!

Last night I weighed in at 270.6. I lost 4 pounds last week. I do not really know how I did it, I even exercised less? But I will take it! I also got my 25 pound charm at my Weight Watchers Meeting last night. (Remember I lost about 25 pounds before going to WW.) Last night we went over simple menu ideas. It was really nice to have that information and everyone was sharing some really neat ideas! To imagine how much I have lost, imagine 200 sticks of butter. I am so happy! That is a picture of my charm that I got last night. I still have not got the key chain to put it on but that's okay. That is coming soon! Like 2.2 pounds away! A lot of things I have read online say that people who lose 50 pounds are more likely to lose the weight that they are wanting to lose because they have had a chance to make some lifestyle changes that are more permanent. I find that to be try. There are some foods I would NEVER touch again!

Weigh-in and "Focus"

Last night I had my weigh in. I lost all that I had gained last week and a little bit more. I weighed 274.6. That means I have lost 49.2 pounds since starting. I really can't believe that I have almost lost 50 pounds!!!!!!! Since going to weight watchers, I have lost 22.8 pounds in 2 months. I have 2.2 pounds more to lose before I get my 25 pound charm and 6.2 pounds before I get my 10% since going to weight watchers to get my key chain. I get a charm to put on my key chain before I get my key chain lol! So, sometime this summer I will get that key chain! I am so excited!

Our meeting last night was about FOCUS and the power of it. She asked these questions that you might want to ask yourself.

1. What distracts you from your weight loss dreams this time of year?

2. What events, chores, emotions etc. might keep you from seeing your winning outcome(book3) clearly?

3. What do you want to achieve this summer?

4. Why is it important to focus on remedies, not faults?

She also gave us a list of things to do to make our weight loss goals a priority:

1. Write it down (Track your food)

2. Keep it handy

3. Ask for help

4. Make time for yourself (including Weight Watchers Meetings)

5. Be selective about what takes up your time

6. Learn to say NO

7. Use meal ideas in Eat Wisely and member kits for quick and easy meal ideas.

8. Stay active

"When you focus on what you want, it will come into your life."

"When you focus on being a happy and motivated person that is who you will be."

from 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself

I hope all of us on this weight loss journey will learn how important FOCUS really is!

Good luck this week!

I have now lost over 40 pounds!

My Weight Watcher Meeting last night was a pleasant surprise! I lost another 2 pounds. I weighed in at 283.6! So, that means I have now lost over 40 pounds! I am so excited!!!!
Our meeting was really interesting. our leader talked about passing the fruit. She told a story about Fergie who had her mother leave at a very young age due to divorce, so she ate to take care of that problem and then she ate after her bad marriage and she gained a lot of weight. Whenever she felt tempted by friends, she would would always have some fruit laying around and she would say pass the fruit instead of eating what everybody else was eating. Our leader encouraged us to go out on a limb because that was where the fruit was located. We also talked about when you tell your friends you are a weight watcher and when you don't. I always tell people, but sometimes there are benefits to not telling people. Like if you took something to a potluck, if you don't tell them your food is weight watcher friendly people will be more likely to eat it and never know it is "diet" food. Whereas if you did tell them, they might never try it. So, overall good meeting!

Weight Watchers Meeting #5

Well my meeting was not as bad as I thought it would be. I knew I had done GREAT this week. Stayed on points, exercised everyday, so why was I worried? I got on the scales and I had lost another 2.4 pounds! I was so excited! This puts me at 286 pounds. Since going to Weight Watchers I have lost 11.4 pounds! I have lost a total of 37.8 pounds since I started! 32 pounds would have been my 10% if I had started going to meetings when I started, but now I have to lose 29 pounds while going to meetings to get my 10% key chain. I only have 17.6 pounds to go to reach my 10% and get my key chain. I will get a 25 pound charm before I get my key chain to put it on. I am feeling so much better. I went to the grocery and got some different foods that I think will help me with this rut I am in. I thought it was kind of funny that after the lady had rung up my groceries, she said man you sure do eat healthy. I never thought someone would say that about me! lol!
Last night we talked about Eating Triggers and Trigger feelings. When we have those feelings like stress, loneliness, boredom, tiredness, we need to find something else to do instead of eat. Like exercise!, clean house, etc! Using food to handle our feelings is a vicious cycle. We feel bad then eat then feel guilty then eat! We need to try to break that vicious cycle. Also our leader said that lack of sleep is one of the causes of obesity in America. I found that interesting. Exercise is suppose to make you sleep better and people who exercise before a meal make better food choices. I have been exercising, but you know I really do not think I use food anymore to help with feelings. I have done really well just sticking on the plan and I like the foods I am eating so that makes it so much easier for me.
Well off to start another good week, I HOPE!
Oh and the red star is my first 5 pounds, the pink star is an additional 5 pounds and the line is where I need to get to reach my 10%.

Week 4 Weight Watchers Meeting

Well I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and I had a loss of .8. This kindof makes me upset because I really feel like I made an effort this week. I got in my daily guidelines and exercised almost every day this week and all I get is .8? Last week, I lost 3.6 pounds and I did not even exercise on day? I guess I am just lost as to what my body is wanting. I do know that most weeks I get really good numbers so I guess I can't complain. .8 of a pound is still a lost so it goes in as a loss and it is going to take awhile to loss what I put on. Just kind of frustrating, when you try so hard you get not as good of numbers when you try so hard. Anyways, I have lost 9 pounds in 4 weeks of Weight Watchers! I think that is pretty good when you look at the 4 week number! This week we talked about red light, green light, and yellow light foods. I did a post about this here, as it was on the daily calendar that I do for daily motivation. Well, onto a better week!

Here's my new progress chart!

That red line is where I am heading for my 10%! The red star is for my first 5 pounds, but really I have lost 8.2 pounds since going to WW, so I am getting close to my additional 5 points star! Sounds like grade school doesn't it? Very little weight was lost at this meeting which I am assuming is because of Easter. Many people even opted out of weighing in which I did not know was even an option. So, I feel good about my 3.6 pound loss! I also go down to 36 points per day. This week we went over monitoring yourself and how important it was to count every bite, lick, and taste. I asked how you do this and people thought I was crazy! But how do you give a points value to a bite, lick or taste? It was a reasonable question, I thought? The answer I got was to aim higher with your points when you actually eat the item. Like, if I was eating my Deep Dish Pizza Casserole instead of 6 points a serving, I should add a point to count for my bites, licks, or taste. I think I will just have to stop taking those "BLT" 's! When monitoring yourself, you need to pay attention to weight changes, progress with exercise, when you eat, when you snack, how well you follow the 8 HG, portion sizes, helpful habits(I have not learned about these yet they are in my new book 3), body measurements/size (sometimes you will not have an ounces change but an inches change), and eating triggers. Overall a really good lesson! We got off track a bit talking about desserts. Different combinations of cake mixes and different combinations of diet pops make wonderful low point cakes. Also for frosting, it was recommended to mix fat free cool whip with fat free, sugar free chocolate pudding and refrigerate it. We are suppose to get a list of things you can do with an Angel Food Cake mix next week so I will share that with you when I get it.

My First WW Meeting

Well, it is official I heart Weight Watchers. I went last night for the first time and learned I was doing several things wrong! First off, I have been doing 31 points for awhile now. According to the points worksheet I should be getting 37. So, now I know how many points I have and why my snacking the other day and going over in points really did not hurt me. Why am I losing weight and not eating all of my points? I really do not know. I ended up paying for the monthly pass, it was $39.95 and got my books I wanted for $24.00. I still want to get a points calculator but they did not have any in last night. I get all the e-tools to help me with the monthly pass. It is so nice, it keeps up with all of your points and you can put recipes in the recipe builder to find out what the points value is. Well, I talked to dh and told him how much I needed and wanted to go and he said we will find a way for you to go. So, looks like I am going to be going! I can't be happier! It also give me some much needed time away from the house and kids that I do not get much. So, it makes it even funner for me!
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Weight Watchers Meeting #1
Here's what I got:
Booklet #1 Eat Wisely
Points slider
Point tracking system
I also bought a Basic Members kit
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Our lesson was on Detours the leader talked about how we get back on our road when we take detours. Here are some detours we might experience along the way:
Detours-Obstacles on the road to Goalville
1. Potholes- Unexpected and Unplanned events (leader discussed using extra 35 points to get back on the road.
2. Speed Traps- Slow Scale Progress (leader said this might happen but you have to look at what might be causing the slow progress ex: lack of exercise and work on that to get back on the road.)
3. Traffic Jams- Plateaus (leader said that sometimes this happens, sometimes switching plans could help)
4. Out of Gas- Getting Bored (Leader said that sometimes we need to change what we eat so we do not get bored)
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Then we reviewed the 8 Good Health Guidelines which they had went over last week, but she reviewed them:
1. 5 servings of fruits and veggies- I really need to do better on this one!
2. Whole grain foods- I do pretty good on this one just do not like brown rice and several of my meals use rice.
3. 2 servings of dairy- I try on this one, I learned that my WW yogurt serving is not enough to make one serving because it is not 8 ounces so I think I am going to buy some of the smoothies at the meeting, if you make it with milk you can count it as 2 milk servings.
4. Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day- I do pretty good on this right now.
5. Get 2 Teaspoons of healthy oil a day- I cook a lot with the canola oil spray and that counts, but really I have not been using anything else and I am going to have to make an effort to work on this.
6. Get at least 2 servings of protein a day- I also do pretty good with this one.
7. Limit added sugar and alcohol- I don't drink so that one is covered, but I need to watch my added sugar.
8. Take a multi vitamin-mineral supplement- I have been doing this too.
The leader said that lots of times when we hit a plateau we need to look back at these healthy guidelines. These guidelines is what makes this eating plan healthier than the fad diets.
Overall really good lesson. The Week 1 book has lots of recipes and meal ideas to get you started.