I know you don’t have to spend money to lose weight. In fact, you should be SAVING money when you lose weight because you are eating LESS. And walking is free. So are exercise DVD rentals from the library. Still, I’ve always found Weight Watchers to be quite motivating. It worked great for me for a few months back in 2006. Then I gave up.
I tried again after Eva was born, but I think it was too early and I was starving all the time from breastfeeding and wasn’t able to make the meetings with a tiny baby nursing and trying to sleep (and another child wanting to tag along) and wasn’t able to leave the baby at home because I’m a freaky attached mommy.
When my youngest just turned 1, I did WW again and lost a few pounds. It motivates me knowing someone will be weighing me in on the same scale every single week. Of course, every time I lose some weight, I get pregnant again. But for a few weeks (before I knew I was pregnant) I was my own little Food Dictator and monitored all that went into my mouth and went all Diet Coke and Splenda (yes, poison, I know) and people rolled their eyes at me, but I DID IT FOR ME and didn’t care what anyone else thought.
So how do you stop using food as your drug of choice? It always helps me when I’m stressed out. It’s better for me than cigarettes or Ritalin or tequila, right? Safer, anyway, I guess. I’m like a drug addict on Celebrity Rehab when I try to lose weight. I just KNOW this time will be the time I will kick my food addiction. But then somehow I always end up with needles – I mean, Dove chocolates – in my back pocket or diaper bag.
How do you learn Food Appreciation versus Food Inhalation? How do you live mindfully and EAT mindfully? And no, I’m not letting pregnancy be an excuse to start pigging in tons of chocolate again. I have relapsed a couple of times with vanilla Coke and Hershey’s extra creamy hearts (who knew?), but this time around I can eat 2 hearts and be happy rather than eating 20 and being able to taste ONE of them.
Next week we’ll talk about your Weight Loss Influences (friends, family, etc.). Don’t worry, I’m tiring of the weight loss thing, so suffer through with me for a few more weeks!
My husband has struggled with his weight his whole live. He decided to do the Daniel Fast from the Bible (some call it the Creator's Diet). He lost 85 pounds and has kept it off for two years. It really is a lifestyle change. He doesn't eat like he used to and he keeps an eye on his weight every morning. He indulges in sweets on weekends, but keeps the portions small. I hope you're able to find the right compromise that works for you.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading up on the bad things that food additives do to your body, I rid my kitchen of them. I was left with mostly real food, so when I get hungry, that's what I have to eat. "Fast food" is now a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit or raw veggies, a muffin, cheese and crackers, etc. And then you feel full (realistically full, not artificially full...only to get mad food cravings a short time later...once you get off the additives, when you return to them, you'll find that there's something in them that is addictive and causes cravings), and you go on to other things besides eating. Because going to find something ELSE to eat is a chore, at some point, and you ask yourself, "how hungry am I, really?" I usually find I am far lazier than actually hungry.
ReplyDeleteOf course, all this goes out the window during pregnancy and new baby stage.
Kerrie:
ReplyDeleteYou have asked the questions of the ages. WW works, it really does, so why do we start and stop it. Why, why, why... I wish I knew.
Roberta Anne
I know that for me, it is emotional. I eat for many different reasons. When I was doing Biggest Loser, I kept a food journal. It as hard at first, but got really easy. AND the greatest part was that by the time the night snacks started hitting...I was still able to eat and eat a few things. I made sure to have only lower calorie snacks. Mini rice cakes...mint with chocolate..they were only 100 calories per bag and the bag had enough to satisfy. I had yougurts to also help the sweet tooth. I just found Yoplait thick and creamy Cherry Cobbler....oh my! I absolutely was able to do it...but once I fell off the wagon,I am forever chasing till I catch up with it again. When you are on a food budget, it is hard to justify paying money for these "snacks". But sometimes, a celery stick just aren't gonna cut it! I enjoy these posts...so do it as long as ya need to .
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is thank you for these posts! You motivated me to actually get off my butt & join Weight Watchers rather than just think about it and complain about the weight...as if it would magically disppear without change or effort on my part. I started last week & go for my 2nd week weigh in tomorrow. First 3 days were the hardest, but it seems to be getting easier each day.
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