Smiles & Hugs, :) Janis
BLESS THIS QUEST
Third Time's a Charm
Friday, January 31, 2015
I started Weight Watchers with meetings in 2006. I LOVED THE MEETINGS. They were informative, supportive, and just fun. Plus we took home a lot of valuable information, recipes, and challenges or things to focus on until our next meeting.
Sadly, we moved 45 minutes away that same year which sort of put a damper on attending those same meetings once a week. So I joined the online community. But it just wasn't the same. I never felt connected to people like the meetings did for me. You probably already guessed it, I didn't renew that subscription.
I told myself I can do this. I have all the information and tools. But slowly I quit writing things down, or guessing at portion sizes and guessing at points. Here I am today bigger than I was then. I obviously NEED some sort of support or community, but we are still living 45 minutes away from where I loved the meetings.
This past Monday, January 26, I started WW again on my own - Tracking points, measuring portions, and writing down everything. I've done well so far this week, but didn't trust myself to continue to do so well on my own, so once again, TODAY, I have joined the online community. I'm really hoping this time will be different. That I'll be able to connect with others in my same shoes. Third Time's a charm, right?
I'm 48 years old and the full time care-giver of our special needs child = Stay at home mom / retired from the working world.
I'm 5' 2" and on Monday weighed the most I've ever been, which is not a good thing. 203.4 pounds.
I don't know what my goal weight should be, but I chose 125 lbs. If I reach this goal in a year, I will be thrilled.
I'm not active other than walking around the block or doing the WW Walking DVD at home.
I have a history of Migraines that can be triggered if my blood sugar drops and I don't eat when I should.
I have arthritis and was prescribed prescription Motrin 3 times a day.
I also have to take Omega 3 vitamins and Calcium vitamins due to my family history.
I tend to jump in with both feet when starting weight watchers, get obsessed with counting points and wondering what can I eat. I'm a huge graze eater. Walking by the kitchen means grabbing a cookie. Fixing my daughter a drink means grabbing a coke for me. I'm weak. What can I say?
I prayed about this for several days before I started on Monday. I know I cannot do this on my own. On Monday I took everything out of the pantry, frig, and freezer and calculated points using my old WW Turn Around tool. I made a list of our inventory and the points for each food including the serving size. (Now that I'm subscribed online, I can easily go look up those foods and double check their point values, adjusting my inventory list accordingly.)
To help with my graze eating or fits of feeling a headache coming and then downing chocolate and caffeine to hopefully nip it in the bud, I plan out my day of food and points the night before or first thing in the morning. I can't tell you how much this has "freed me up" during the day.
I know what I'm going to have for each meal and also add snacks that fit within the leftover points. This has been a MAJOR advantage to my success this week. I also start the day (around 5:30 am) with water, water, water. If I eat time I get out of bed, I'll over eat. So I don't have breakfast until 10. By this time I've already had about half my daily suggestion for water intake, and I'm really not that hungry.
I dislike most vegetables (except the ones I was raised on from our family farm), and love almost every fruit. My supper last night was a bowl of 1 chopped apple, 1 serving of raisins, and 4 strawberries. And I couldn't eat it all because I was full before I saw the bottom of the bowl. That's progress!
Thank you for hanging in here with me for this long post. I look forward to reading your comments and getting to know some of you.
May your Quest be Blessed!
:) Janis
P.S. The photo is from August last year at one of our daughters' wedding.
