Tuesday, July 20, 2010

If you bite it, write it (a weight loss tool I cannot ignore any longer!)

On Dec. 2, 2009, I joined Weight Watchers for the third time in my life.

The first time was in 2000 after I had Zoe and was not successful at shedding all that baby weight. I lost 40 pounds and kept it off for about four years. Then I gained it all back, plus some.

The second time was in 2006 when, after stepping on the scales and realizing I'd topped my nine-months-pregnant-with-Zoe weight, I knew I had to do something drastic. I lost about 20 pounds, then gave up.

Third time is the charm, right? And so far it has been. Except this summer, I've hit a plateau after dropping a total of 35 pounds. The reasons are all too familiar.

Excuse #1: It's too hot / I don't have time to exercise.
Excuse #2: I don't have time to shop / cook / eat healthy.
Excuse #3: I don't really need to go to EVERY single weekly Weight Watchers meeting.
Excuse #4: Going a few points over my daily / weekly allotment is not going to hurt that much.
Excuse #5: It's such a pain in the butt to keep track of everything you eat, every day.

For me, it comes down to accountability. I have to exercise. I have to eat right every day. I have to go to meetings to weigh in on a public scale where the number is recorded in a little book. I have to keep track of what I eat to the nth degree. And I have to stick with this -- for me!

Today, I recommitted to the WW principles that helped me be successful so far. Every single bite of food that's gone in my mouth has been recorded so I can tally points and hold myself accountable at the end of the day. A friend nudged me to sign up for a Pilates class that we'll attend together. I'm going back to the public weigh ins at my at-work WW meeting tomorrow. And I plan to walk on the treadmill (inside where it's air conditioned to a cool 69 degrees!) as soon as I get home from work.

My goal is to drop another 9 pounds by my 44th birthday -- reaching a symbolic 44 pounds lost by my 44th -- giving me a little over two months to push through this plauteau. Wish me luck on this next phase of the journey! Every little bit of encouragement most certainly helps!

2 comments:

  1. Kelly - I could have written this post. I've gained about 10 lbs and I feel it. My 40th birthday is one month from today. I'd like to be rid of those 10 by then. I'll re-commit with you.

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  2. Love this! I am going to go work out right now! Been procrastinating since I got home!

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