Fat Burnin' Friday

Another week has passed and January is almost over...where does the time go? I think I just might have gotten past my plateau. After many weeks of just barely losing - .2#, .4#, etc, I finally had a breakthrough week. I lost a full pound.

Of course, when I weighed myself and realized I had finally lost a good amount, my first thought was, wow imagine what I could have lost if I had exercised better control of my diet this week. It wasn't that I hate horribly, but I had this amazing mock lemon meringue cake that we made at my Pampered Chef party. The party was under-attended, so there was a lot left and I love lemon meringue pie (lemon anything really) and this was so much like it. I had a piece on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - and not a small one either. But, I guess that just goes to show that a splurge doesn't haven't to be your downfall. As long as you are watching and practicing good eating most of the time, an occasional treat (probably 4 times in four days doesn't qualify as occasional - but I do have a valid point) will not set you back. In fact, my guess is that an occasional treat makes it easier to stick to it. If you feel deprived, you will go overboard when you get something you want. If you allow yourself small treats, it makes it easier to control eating.

This week, there seemed to be a lot more people that noticed (or at least mentioned) that I had lost some weight. I felt so wonderful and had a huge smile when I would acknowledge, that yes I had - over 20# in fact. In addition, my old pants have gotten so big that I had to safety pin them to keep them up...I guess I might have to buy a few more pairs of pants in this new size. I was hoping to wait and see if I could get one size smaller first, but I don't think that is an option. I won't go overboard, but I think I should have at least 7 pairs of pants that fit.

At Weight Watchers this week, when I weighed in I showed a good loss on the scales (even though I at 2 of those servings of mock lemon meringue cake before the meeting) of just over 1#. There were a lot of people that reached milestones at this meeting. They had all joined at various times, but there were four people that reached 5% weight loss. There is something so inspiring about hearing of others successes, it is one of my favorite things about going to meetings. It helps bolster the thought that if they can be successful with this program, so can I.

At the meeting, there was a pamphlet passed out to allow members to share "how Weight Watchers has Changed Your Life" by submitting their story. I remember a few years ago (gosh, it's probably been eight or nine years ago now - as I said at the beginning of the post time really flies), one of my friends was a success story, along with her dad. They went to New York for a photo shoot and were featured on the website and everything. Years later (and two kids) and she still looks great. She has kept off the weight she lost on Weight Watchers - she is an inspiration.

If you want to read success stories of Weight Watchers members to find your own inspiration, you can find them on WeightWatchers.com. The winners' stories aren't posted online yet, but Weight Watchers just named the six winners of their 2009 Inspiring Stories of Change contest (I would think they will post soon they are featured in this month's magazine). Each of the winners experienced improvements in their health by setting short-term weight loss goals and incorporating changes, such as portion control and increased activity. Stories of the everyday person's success inspires me - to read about the changes that they accomplished through changing their lifestyle helps me see that it can work for me.

I am confident that with the lifestyle changes that I have made, that I too can lose the weight and keep it off. At the meeting last week, which was about getting active, the leader mentioned that some percentage like 75% (I didn't write it down but that's close) of people who were able to maintain their weight loss continue to exercise at least 3 days a week. Hearing that is a great reminder that I am making a lifestyle change. I'm not simply exercising to get to a goal, but am exercising to lead a healthier, happier life. I already feel better and I am only part way to my goal. I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like when I lose the rest of my weight.

Having lost 1# this week, I now have only 17.2# to go to meet my goal. I do think though that my goal of having lost 10# from Christmas to Valentine's Day is not realistic - as that would mean 7# in the next two weeks. I guess, I will revise to make that a goal of at least 5# by Valentine's Day. I'm not moving my ultimate goal of being down the full 40# by Memorial Day - that would be great. It is only 18 weeks away, so I will need to stay focused and consistent if I will meet that goal.