All the best to eveyone on their journey!
My name is Debbie and I am 45 years old. I am married with four kids aged 19, 16, 13, and 11.
I have been at my goal weight now for two years. I hover around 50-52kg these days. My weight was a tad over 90kg at one point. Due to poor health and pain, also looking at photos taken at around that time, shocked me into getting back control of my life. To regain my health was top priority.
I lost about 5kg prior to joining Weight Watchers following their program. I joined a month later for the support and to be also accountable to the scales each week. At the first meeting I wanted to turn away and run LOL. But NO I was going to do this no matter what! My leader Roz is just fantastic! She relates to people easily and is very funny and entertaining! Time just flew. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.
I joined Weight Watchers in 2002. I reached my goal 2003 and became a lifetime member. WW put me on track. I love the people and the program. I was like a heat seeking missile determined to reach my target. I knew if I didn’t put in 100% effort, only I was to blame.
On a rare occasion I did tackle that negative voice in my head, but I was so determined to succeed. It was only a faint whisper! However, I did encounter other negative influences. I did not let it get the better of me. I proved to be the stronger power * Flexing muscles*.
My sweetheart and darling hubby of 21 years was my biggest supporter! My family and close friends were wonderful too.. And of course my weight loss buddies!!
My introduction to Weight Watchers….
I am a nail technician and one day while discussing weight loss with a client, she mentioned WW to me. I am not sure how we got on to the topic lol. It is amazing what we find to talk about during a nail service. She told me how the WW program worked and that she lost 15kgs. In that same week, another client mentioned her weight loss. She too had great success. She said she was a big girl all her life, interesting story! She lost an incredible amount of weight. It would have been good to see the before pictures, but she was on holidays and only flying through.
Without trying to sound like an advertisement here, I looked into other programs that were available. WW appealed most to me. I learned more about my eating habits and what trigger them….also the importance of exercise.
It was simple and easy to understand. The point’s concept was clever and so easy to follow. Best of all, there was no cutting out this food or that. There were no supplements, no pre-prepared meals to take home. I was sold. I liked that idea a lot. Portion size was a problem with me. NOW I fill up on foods that are safe and healthy, leaving room for my favourites. Moderation of course being the key. At the start of my weight loss journey I continued to eat the foods that I always enjoyed. But also in saying that, I learned also to adapt recipes making them healthier, user friendly without compromising flavour.
Exercise….
I really enjoy my exercise and feeling fit. I hate it if I miss a day or two. I also enjoy this time to myself, good therapy. It also allows me the odd splurge too when I have the urge. As for my exercise routine, I enjoy running, power walking with full body weights. Some days I travel light giving my body a break. If the days are sour outdoors gerrrr, I use the elliptical trainer. I much prefer the outdoors though. I put my music on and pound the pavement.
Power of the mind
At the risk of repeating myself, our state of mind plays a huge role on how we approach things. I would be lying if I said I did not have my moments of frustration. But you know what, that’s what makes victory so sweet. I persevered; I met the challenge and won. Life is full of challenges be it work, family/ teenage kids and so forth. We don’t give up on them do we? Don’t give up on yourself! Surround yourself by those who are positive and supportive of you. There is no room for negative energy.
First meeting at Weight Watchers
When I went in for my first weigh in, it was a bit daunting. The amount of weight I had to loose surprised me. I had no idea how overweight I was, or what my ideal weight was for my height at 5"3. As far as reading weight on scales go, I always worked on the old scale of stones. I lost about 5kg close to 1stone before joining WW. When they gave me my ideal weight in kgs, I nearly dropped 10kgs on the spot. I almost lost the plot right there and then. But I was there to stay for the long haul, if that’s what it took!
Mini Goals
I decided not to look at the total amount of weight I had to loose. It was suggested to make mini goals. So I did. Do you know the thingy-bobs a racehorse wears around their eyes, blinkers I think they are called, right? Well anyway, I believe it helps prevent the horse from not getting startled or distracted by the environment around them. They can only focus straight ahead. Well that was me. I was focused on the track ahead. I took one lap at a time. Before I knew it, the laps were getting shorter and shorter. So setting small goals was a winner … AND for every few kgs lost I rewarded myself too!
Tracking
During my weight loss journey I kept mostly a strict eye on my point range. I banked points here and there for the odd treat. I budgeted my points for going out for dinner and that sort of thing. It personally worked out well for me. There were times too that I went over my points just a tad, but I made up ground in no time. In any case a few odd points over isn’t going to blow you out. Just be aware of it and try not to make a habit of it.
As I mentioned, I am a fan of the point’s concept. Without fail I jotted down my meals and points used each day. These days I keep a mental log and estimate my points. After using the points system for a time now, I have a fair idea of the point value of most foods I buy. There are times when I still pull out my trusty Weight Watchers calculator. It is an absolute gem. I still use it when I am not sure about some new food items or if I have forgotten the point value of items after not purchasing it in awhile. I use it a lot when I am trying out new recipes too. This calculator was the best purchase I have made! I have had mine for a good 18 months now I think. I Love it!
Weight loss slowed down ~
There was a time my weight loss slowed right down. I should pull out my stats to see at what stage that was? I know the last few kgs was the hardest to budge. On the most part my weight loss was pretty steady. As I got closer to my goal weight, I changed how I was doing things. I would eat more or less than my 18 points in a day. One day I would eat 20 points, the next day maybe 15 points and so forth. I kept an eye on my weekly points intake and that I did not exceed my points. I still managed to save/ earn points. I think some of you do something similar . As you know, these days I don’t chart my food, though it would be good practice too. I know when I have exceeded my limits. At 1-2 kilo’s over I really feel it. As you know I do love my exercise so this certainly helps burn those extra kgs away fast.
Overall outlook
When I look back on my overall weight loss, it was steady. I lost my weight in a realistic time frame. I built this Website here, which helped me keep focused. It sure was a great aid for me. It reminded me just how far I had come. I often looked at my photos to measure my success. I also tried on my old clothes; that pepped me up. Now that was a buzz!
Reflecting
I have come a long way in regards to how I choose my food now. Health wise I feel great! I can say that I never felt like I was on a diet. I never referred to it as such either. Though many people did say to me, what diet are you on, as they saw the change in me. My reply would be…it was simply learning better food management, portion size and moderation. These days my priority is making healthier choices for myself and family. I am much more conscious of the choices out there and how I prepared our meals. When I think of the choices I made before losing weight and how much of it, it’s scary. I can safely say now that 90% of the time I eat healthy. During my weight loss journey and to this day, I enjoy occasionally going out for Mexican, or lunch at Hogs Breath Cafe, Sizzlers and so forth. It just comes down to planning.
Cravings
Yes, there have been days when my body crave for certain foods … And just for the record, I do not deprive myself of these foods to warrant over eating or bingeing. BUT it happens, though RARE. I have a momentary relapse LOL. ... An example is eating a family or party pack of crisps with dip or a whole block of chocolate. In any case I am aware of what I am doing. For a moment I have the guilt thing happening.. Then I say, well that was fun. Then I take care for the next few days and put in extra time with my exercise routine. That’s my confession for the day. I have to say though; I do not think I did this during my weight loss journey, not to that extent. I guess now I feel relatively safe as far as my weight goes and feel I am at the helm so to speak. Awareness is a big thing. If we have our moments of weakness so what! Its done and we move on.
Exercise part 2.
In the beginning I did exercise during my weight loss, but there was room for improvement. It certainly helps move things along with the weight loss and toning. But we all know that huh. Exercise is important, regardless if you are trying to lose weight or not. However for me, I was stuck in low gear at the start but eventually worked my way into it. I feel great for it too! A natural high. If you are a person who can’t warm up to exercise right now, I would concentrate on your weight loss and getting healthy. As you see the changes take place and you start to feel great about yourself, you might then feel more motivated to make exercise a way of life too. Better late than never.
Hope I have not raved on to much folks. That’s it for now lol.
Hugs everyone
Visit Debbie’s website here:
http://get-me.to/debra-lost40kg-thanx2ww
Source:
http://www.theweighwewere.com/Read-W...ories/190.html
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