February 01, 2006

catching up

This past week has been a disaster. I decided to take that advice that EVERYONE gives and not weigh myself everyday. It was a mess. I followed the plan exactly the same as I otherwise would, and I gained weight. Then yesterday I caved to a craving and had some mozzarella sticks and a couple tater tots from the Feve. I initially planned to do that and still keep my points for the day, but in the end, I probably ended up using some of my Flex Points -- I stopped counting.

And wouldn't you know it, today I had lost all the weight I gained plus a teensy bit more. It's back to daily weighing for me.

This will probably be my last post for close to a week, though. On Friday at the crack of dawn, I leave for San Diego for the weekend. I'll be at my cousins' B'nai Mitzvah, which means that every meal while I'm in California -- dinner Friday, lunch Saturday, dinner Saturday, and brunch Sunday -- will be provided for me. I probably couldn't stay on points if I wanted to, but quite frankly, I don't want to. I believe that vacations are not for WW.

I know I'll gain weight while I'm there, but I'm also looking at this as a fresh start. Last time I went to San Diego, in January 2004, was when I really fell off the program for the first time and never got back to it. I'm looking at this as an opportunity to go there and come home and get right back to it.

Posted by eengah at 10:00 AM | Comments (3)

January 19, 2006

Day 5: I'm still enjoying this!

It's only day 5, but I feel like I've been doing this for months. Maybe that's because I did WW before, but either way, it's a positive thing. Instead of feeling tired of caring about what I eat, I feel like it's natural and easy. That's been a pleasant surprise.

It doesn't hurt that I've lost some weight each day, either. Yes, I weigh myself daily. It works for me. This has been a very successful week so far, and I'm looking forward to keeping it up.

I'm still not craving any bad-choice foods, and have been very satisfied by things like three spoonfuls of Lauren's ice cream, or one serving at dinner. Actually, though, I need to be eating more meals, since I'm having trouble eating enough points. Normally I only eat one meal a day, and I snack the rest of the day. That's a really bad habit, and, thinking back, I think it was my downfall last time. That was how I ate then, and when I started working and couldn't munch the same way and had to plan my food in advance, I fell apart. I'm going to try to change this behavior now, so that when I start working again when we move home, I can continue being successful.

Oh, and I've set Tuesday as my weigh-in day, the same day I set when we first started in 2003. So I'll post the outcome of that both in an entry and in my progress chart every Tuesday. I'm also going to start posting reviews of my favorite foods soon. I hate that I spent a solid 7 or 8 months finding great WW-friendly foods last time I did this, and now that it's two years later, I don't remember most of them. I want to keep track of what I do and don't like.

Now I'm going to go shower so I can be all clean to try on the clothes I bought for my cousins' B'nai Mitzvah next month -- and so I can take some progress pictures.

Posted by eengah at 01:15 PM | Comments (2)

January 17, 2006

Day 3: Pleasantly Surprised

I know it's only day 3, but I'm really pleased at how this is going. I think waiting until after PMS to officially start was a smart choice, because there's nothing more discouraging than CRAVING sweets by the end of the first day on program. So I waited, and I've noticed that I'm not really craving the kinds of stuff that I usually crave. I haven't had to turn off the Food Network because Paula Deen's cakes look too yummy to watch or even because Michael Chiarello's main dishes are too high in points. I can observe, notice what looks good, and move on.

Last night we tried another new recipe from Steve Raichlen's Big Flavor Cookbook, and once again, we were disappointed. It was decent, but not great. I think we'll try a few more, and then if we're not impressed, we'll return the book and stick with Cooking Light.

Tonight we're having turkey tacos, one of our standards from our first time around. I'm surprised to say I'm looking forward to it. After this week's ventures, I'm glad to know that I can already anticipate the flavor of tonight's dinner. Plus, I'm a sucker for that stupid, packaged Uncle Ben's red rice.

Posted by eengah at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2006

Day 1. And so it begins (again).

So here I am again. I know a lot of people would consider this a continuation of my previous WW experience, but I'm counting it as a complete do-over, since I've gained back ALL the weight I originally lost (plus another 4 pounds) and because it's been over a year since I so much as thought about points for more than an hour in any given week (the archives of my previous journal can be found here. I have a lot to say, but I'm not sure where to start. I'm really disappointed in myself for working so hard to lose 55 pounds and then gaining it ALL back, but I've spent the last year being mad at myself for that and I'm ready to move on to a new beginning.

It's interesting to see which things are different now and which are the same. For instance, my commitment level is very different. I think in some ways, I'm more committed because I've tasted what under 200 lbs can feel like and I want it back so very badly, but in other ways, I'm a little jaded. Last time around, I was unshakable. I was going to make my goal and no one was going to tell me different. This time, I know it won't be so easy, and that's making it hard to be so gung ho.

Also, I'm already annoyed at how quickly I get sick of good foods. I think the fact that I'm interested in cooking now and wasn't 2 years ago is going to make a difference. Unfortunately, though, I already feel like I never want to see another turkey sloppy joe for the rest of my life. The desire at the end of the day to go get a candy bar is harder to shake. I'm committed, however, to eating all my points instead of just giving up after eating 2/3 of them.

Anyway, I guess we'll have to see how it goes. I have a feeling that it's going to be much slower this time around, but hopefully that will mean that it's also much more permanent. I'm glad I got this site back up and running so quickly, because I think it's a really good tool for me. I also have all those links to other people's weight loss journals that I should start reading again. Not going to meetings works just fine for me, but it always helps to not feel alone.

I feel good about this, even though I'm a bit skeptical. I feel, this time, like there is no option but to succeed, but that I'm going to have to stop being so lazy, emotionally. In the end, though, that should make me a healthier person all around.

Posted by eengah at 08:30 PM | Comments (2)