It did work for a while. But for ME, the sodium levels and the chemicals in the foods just didn't mesh well with my body. I would lose three pounds, then gain six the minute I ate something other than Lean Cuisines or Campbell's. I went from a size 10 to a size 12, and at one point, even those size 12s were getting a big snug. I remember shopping for shirts that would be loose around my belly, so my muffin top wouldn't be as noticeable. New clothes, getting dressed up to go out... all of it would be so stressful! I was weighing in at 159, and at 5'1", it was far too much for my frame.
May 23, 2011, I made a decision. I was heading to meet a friend at the park to run and I made a pitstop on my way there - at Weight Watchers! I weighed in, cried at the number on the scale, and signed right up.
My weight began to drop right away. In fact, I went down six pounds the first week! By June 8th, I was at 149 and ecstatic. Definitely motivation to keep it up. From July 2 - July 30th, I continued to drop weight - slowly, but surely. By the end of July, I was sitting at 146, down 13 pounds. I was also in my size 10 jeans, and even those were a tad baggy in the waist and thighs! Since July 2011, however, my weight has gone back and forth between 142 and 145, and I am comfortably in size 8 jeans. My ultimate goal is 130, however, so I've still got a ways to go.
There were many things that helped me lose weight and continue to lose weight. Exercise is a big part of that - both running and strength-training -- but that is another blog entry for another day. ;) For today, I'm focusing just on my food and how it has changed.
I have always been a Southern girl. While my Weight Watcher leader would tell us to "eat to live, not live to eat," I grew up in a household that did, in fact, live to eat. Pound cake, cheese grits, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, white bread with butter... YUM. Food just makes me happy. I eat when I'm stressed about something, I eat to celebrate great news, I eat when I'm sad about something... Overall, lots of eating. As you can imagine, this didn't bode well for my waistline!
When I first started WW, I was able to eat 29 points per day, with 49 weekly points. I would be great all week, staying within my points and eating low point foods. Then on Saturday, I would go crazy and eat all my weeklies at one time! Breakfast at Waffle House after weighing in (I know, don't tell my WW leader!), Mexican food and margaritas at lunch, and wings (and beer!) for dinner. I LIVED for Saturdays!
But my weight began to slow down. I would gain two pounds, then lose one. Then I'd gain a half pound and lose two pounds. I wavered back and forth between gaining and losing the same 3 pounds from September 2011 to January 2012. So I took a deep breath, said goodbye to my endless food Saturdays, and tried something new.
I had never really tracked before on Saturdays. I didn't write down my food, didn't figure out point values... I just assumed I had used all my weeklies and called it a day. But I was running 10-15 miles per week, and I wasn't eating back any of my calories to fuel my body appropriately. So I discovered a plan for WW called the Wendie Plan. I'm not sure why it is named that, but it varies the number of points I eat each day by spreading out my 49 weekly points.
Before, my weeks looked like this:
Saturday (weigh-in day): 26 daily + 49 weekly = 75 points
Sunday - 26 points
Monday - 26 points
Tuesday - 26 points
Wednesday - 26 points
Thursday - 26 points
Friday - 26 points
Now, on the Wendie plan, my weeks look more like this:
Saturday (weigh-in day): 46 - 48 points
Sunday - 26 points
Monday - 33 - 35 points
Tuesday - 26 points
Wednesday - 33-35 points
Thursday - 29 points
Friday - 26 points
I happen to run on Saturdays (long runs), Mondays and Wednesdays, so it works out great!
Since I've made the decision to not only switch to the Wendie plan and start tracking my Saturdays, I've also gone to a nutritionist, who has helped me create meal plans that will help me reach my goal of 130 pounds. I've been on the plans for a few days and they aren't so bad at all!
Because food is such an important part of my life, and it's such an important part of fueling my body for running and working out, it will be an important part of this blog. You will read most days what I have eaten, so be prepared!
Today's food:
Breakfast - 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup Horizon Organic fat free milk
AM Snack - cottage cheese, green pepper sticks
Lunch - homemade vegetable soup (complete with homemade chicken broth!), peanut butter pretzels
PM Snack - protein shake (I have a fabulous protein powder I use, so I add some water and a little bit of Crystal Light powder to mask the taste!), pear
Dinner - shrimp, quinoa, asparagus
Night Snack - hardboiled egg, 5 baby carrots, 5 strawberries
I have developed a weird tendency to take pictures of my food, so here are some of my favorite meals that I have consistently:
No comments:
Post a Comment