What I’ve Been Doing:

1. Couch To 5K: You guys, I AM RUNNING. Like, for real running, and I’m actually kinda liking it. I mean- I’m only in Week 2 so I’m not running for more than 90 seconds at a time yet, but STILL. That’s something, I think. I even didn’t let myself use the Impending Thunderstorm as an excuse to cut my run short this past weekend and finished the whole workout- all while Dan was standing at the door as I ran by, yelling at me to “GET INSIDE THERE IS LIGHTNING YOU IDIOT!” But I had one run session left and I finished. And did the cool down by walking around the first floor of the house because woo-boy that thunder was getting close. (Also: a huge thank you to Dan for being awesome about letting me escape the insanity of our house to run 3 times a week.)

2. Cardio Boxing on the Kinect. I’ve done this a few times when it was too hot or rainy or I wouldn’t have time to run later. It’s something I can do while the baby naps (I’ve been sucking at the whole ‘wake up before the girls and go for a run’ because I wake up STARVING and need breakfast before I do anything, and there’s just not enough time for both before they get up for the day.) Maggie likes to be my ‘personal trainer’, which just means that she sits on the couch and watches, every once in a while jumping up to pretend punch things, then saying WOO! I NEED A DRINK! then chugging her water really loudly. Anyway- I really like this game (game?) on the Kinect and it’s a good intense workout for 20-30 minutes. I did it yesterday and um… I’m really sore. So.

3. No snacking. Okay so maybe not NO snacking- but very little. My biggest issue for a while was afternoon foodfests when the girls and I were home this summer. Chips, then maybe something sweet, then maybe something else later… then dinner. Then ice cream or something after the girls went to bed. I’ve stopped most of it- though if I’m truly hungry, I’ll eat something. I’m not in the business of starving myself and I love food. I’ve just been trying to make better choices for those snacks. Like apples, even though they’re not my favorite. Being a Mature Snacker kind of blows sometimes, but whatever.

So that’s… basically all I’ve been doing. It’s really not all that exciting for everybody else, I suppose, but I wanted to hold myself accountable for my Mission and report back here. (And I know several of you are on the same Mission so Let’s Commiserate Together About Our Sore Muscles and Hungry Tummies!)

Regardless of what the scale says (DAMN THING HAS NOT BUDGED IN TWO WEEKS, WHAT THE HECK, STUPID SCALE?), I know it’s working. I didn’t take any initial measurements (kicking myself for that now), but my clothes are fitting differently. My shirts, my pants, my bras. I can feel actual MUSCLES developing in places that used to be squishy. And I just plain FEEL better, which was mostly the goal anyway.

The scale can bite me. Or maybe I’ll cardio-box it to death.икони
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WHOA. WEIRD NUMBER COINCIDENCE THERE.

Anyway. I gained about 35 pounds during that second pregnancy (not exactly sure how much because at the end, I kind of stopped paying attention or caring much. I was gigantic. The End.) I had a head start on things because I started at a lower weight than my first pregnancy. After she was born, the first 25 pounds or so of weight came off pretty easily. I breastfed Audrey for almost 5 months which helped allow me to eat just about whatever I wanted, even on the new Weight Watchers plan (I started that last December). I was even doing pretty well with exercising a few days a week. I slowly and steadily lost weight until March.

But then The Perfect Storm Of Weight Loss Sabotage happened. I stopped breastfeeding. The baby became mobile AND started teething/not sleeping all that great. Extra time and energy for exercise became scarce. Life got busy and hectic keeping track of two moving children plus working and keeping up with normal daily chores and I started rewarding myself for surviving the days by plopping my growing butt on the couch after the girls were in bed (9:00pm if I was lucky) and eating ice cream, cookies, pie, cake… whatever we happened to have around.

I had started getting into a really good routine with meeting my mom a few evenings each week and walking a few miles with her. But that hasn’t happened in about a month. It has been hot as Hades outside so I spend most days hiding inside, declaring my neverending love to whoever invented air conditioning. Then I caught tuberculosis or whatever this crap is that’s been in my lungs for nearly three weeks. So exercise has been the last thing on my priority list. I played three games of volleyball with the neighbors last weekend and I seriously thought I might die or at least cough up a kidney after all the exertion. My body is clearly not ready for me to start moving again yet. Hopefully another few days and my lungs will be back to normal. COUGH COUGH HACK.

All of this to say: I need to get back to work on this whole weight loss thing. I am SO! CLOSE! to being back to my own personal ‘happy’ weight and size (because everybody’s is different, you know) I know what my body feels like when it’s being treated well and this… well, this is definitely not it.

I don’t have a clear plan, to be perfectly honest. I have had great success with Weight Watchers in the past, but I don’t think I’m going that route for this last bit of weight. Partly because the new points plan is a lot more strict about things than before and I was finding it nearly impossible to even come close to the 29 points a day it allowed me (I like carbs, you guys.) But it’s also partly because I don’t think that food is necessarily what I need to focus on. I mean, I WILL be cutting back on desserts (*CRY*) and I’m going to try reallyreallyhard to eat less cheese and eat more veggies and fruits. You know, common sense, obvious stuff.

I know that what I need to do is get my butt off the couch and move.

It’s not going to be easy. Like every other parent out there, I don’t get a lot of free time to myself. I might be able to sneak 30 minutes here and there to write a blog post while the baby is napping and Maggie is eating a snack and watching Sesame Street (GUESS WHAT EVERYONE IN OUR HOUSE IS DOING RIGHT NOW?? ha) but it’s rare. Usually my ‘free’ time includes such glamorous activities such as emptying the dishwasher, switching the laundry, prepping dinner, or answering client emails I’ve been ignoring all day. And when the kids are finally in bed? I just want to SIT. IN THE DARK. AND ENJOY THE QUIET AND NOBODY TOUCHING ME.

But of course, when I sit there on the couch, I usually have some company. Usually something chocolatey. Mmmmmm…

(GEE. I DON’T KNOW WHY I’VE GAINED FIVE POUNDS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS.)

Some things I’m going to try so this is successful:

• Wake up before the girls and exercise. This means setting my alarm for 6am or possibly earlier on a NON-WORK DAY. You guys, THE HUMANITY!!!!! In the past I haven’t had much luck with early morning exercise. My body is not a fan. We’ll see how it goes.
• Workout ‘with’ Maggie on the Kinect while Audrey naps. This is probably going to be the easiest to find time for, because thankfully Audrey is pretty predictable napper (something I did NOT have with Maggie at this age! I feel so spoiled!) I usually use her naps to do chores- dishes, laundry, etc.- or play a game or color with Maggie. But I think I just need to ignore the To Do List and involve Maggie and it will be two birds with one stone.
• Walking/(running?) in the evenings. I bought new running shoes a month ago and have yet to actually wear them. How sad. As soon as it stops being so freaking hot outside even after dinnertime, I’m getting back out there. Hopefully Dan is willing to man the battle stations for the girls’ bedtimes now and then. Also, I have running? up there because… it’s been a looong time since I ran. Like high school plus a brief few weeks during the fall before I got pregnant with Audrey. I’d like to slowly work my way up to running again.

So that’s my plan. Sorta. I don’t know. I’m sure I will have good weeks and bad weeks. I’ve done this weight loss thing enough to know that you just need to forgive yourself for the bad days/weeks and keep going. Learn from it. Fix it. There’s no easy solution, unfortunately. I’m just tired of feeling TIRED and crappy and weak and flabby.

Plus I miss my old shirts and pants and I REALLY don’t want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe in a bigger size for this fall. </superficial> :)
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So! The contest was over this past Monday. How did I do? Well… I did not win the cash prize. But obviously, that wasn’t my ultimate purpose for doing this. My goals back in January were:

1. Exercise more. WEEELLL… I did great at this for January. Then February came and our house was hit with The Plague and a baby with RSV and a bad week of reflux from that same baby and then she started teething so NO! SLEEP! FOR! ANYONE! And when you’re running on little sleep week after week, exercise is the very last thing on your list of things you feel like doing. Seriously. I would have probably picked eating spiders over exercise. And I HATE SPIDERS.

The good news is that sleep is slowly returning to our house (for now, at least) I even had enough energy to workout yesterday for the first time in a very, very long time. Just don’t ask me how my hamstrings and calves feel today, because if you do, I will whine for ten minutes about my hamstrings being sore. And my calves. And my groin. Oh! And my EYELASHES.

2. Eat more fruits and veggies. I succeeded in this one! I started loving pears and tried all the varieties at my grocery store. I also tried to mix in more meals with veggies as a large side dish- steamed fresh green beans, roasted carrots, snow peas, etc. I even had a banana as a snack a few times. Where is my sticker?

3. Drink more water. This was an important goal of mine while I was still breastfeeding (which I did until mid-February) If I slacked on my water-drinking, I would wake up in th emiddle of the night with a completely dry mouth and it was awful! So it was pretty easy to remember to drink the water. I got into the habit of carrying my hot pink 24-ounce plastic water bottle with me everywhere- and I still do. So: CHECK! on the water-drinking.

4. Be patient. For the most part, I think I was. I mean, I would LOVE to wake up one morning to find 10 pounds gone like magic! But, realistically, that’s just not gonna happen. I’ve done this weight loss thing enough times (once after college, then again after Maggie was born) to know that to do it right, you really have to be patient. A pound a week is GREAT. One day at a time. Don’t get frustrated. Eat a cookie now and then. It’s okay. (Or a piece of pie.) (Which I may have done a couple times.) (sssssh.)

I lost eleven pounds from the time I started the BBL competition, and thirteen total pounds from when I signed up for Weight Watchers about 15 weeks ago. Slow slow progress, but that is okay with me. I had just started losing the pregnancy weight at when Maggie was 6 months old, so I had a much longer road ahead. Now, Audrey is 6 months old, and I am only 1 size away from getting into my old jeans. I’m only 8 pounds away from where I was the day I got my positive pregnancy test last January.

I feel good. Not my best, but I feel more comfortable in my skin than I did 3 months ago. So comfortable that… I’m going to share my Before & After photos. EEEK.

I’m amazed at how much better that shirt fits me now. And my arms! They are smaller!

I’ll take it.
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I lost 20 pounds or so in the first month after delivery- that part is always easy. Water weight, your body no longer housing a human being, etc- that all helps. But after that early honeymoon period of time, at least for me, the rest of the weight is STUBBORN and WILL. NOT. BUDGE.

Even breastfeeding wasn’t helping. All of you who have stories about the weight just melting off! and then some! and you’re back to your pre-pregnancy weight by the time your baby turns 4 weeks old! All because of breastfeeding! I’M JEALOUS. SHOOSH, YOU. All breastfeeding did for me was make me ravenously hungry all the time and I couldn’t quit eating. Not so much helping with the weightloss. I even had a baby who breastfed every hour on the hour for like 5 weeks! DIDN’T HELP. NO FAIR.

After things settled down, I tried for a few weeks to watch what I was eating. I have done Weight Watchers (online) twice in the past with great success, and it taught me a lot about paying attention to what I shove in my face. And this time I figured I could do it on my own.

It… didn’t work very well. I lost maybe 2 pounds. Then I gained 2 back. Then lost another one. Then gained 2 back. Then lost 2 again… rinse, repeat.

At the beginning of December, I finally decided I needed a real plan, so I signed up for Weight Watchers online again. I’m lucky enough not to really need a special diet (low-carb, low-fat, whatever) but I do need the accountability of recording my food each day. I’m motivated enough to record things, so it’s a system that really works for me. When I go to eat something, I think… hm… how will this make me feel later today when I have to write down that I ate ten cookies? MAYBE I’LL PUT NINE OF THEM BACK.

Now, I started WW again right before Christmas. Which is like SUPER PARTY SEASON. Meaning tons of really good (tasting) food. So I didn’t have high hopes for losing a lot of weight. But I thought if I could just get through the holidays without gaining a ton, that would be good enough.

And it was. After Christmas and New Years, I had lost 3 pounds (I had lost 5, but I gained 2 back during Christmas/New Years Week. Also known as the Week Of The Fussy Reflux Baby. So it was… kind of stressful and I may have eaten my feelings a little bit. heh) But thanks to paying attention a little bit, I came out 3 pounds down.

WOO. HOO!

Then Jennie announced she was holding a contest: Biggest Blogging Loser. Nearly 100 bloggers, $20 each in the pot, and the winner gets the money (or rather, the biggest loser gets most of the money and the runner-up gets a share, as well) It’s all based on percentage, so whether you have 15 pounds or 50 pounds you want to lose, the playing field is even.

IT. IS. ON.

The contest started last Monday, and this Monday I got on the scale: I had lost another three pounds. YAY!

But losing those extra pounds isn’t my only goal with this contest (although, obviously I have no chance of winning if the numbers on the scale don’t move). I have some other goals:

1. Exercise more. I do not particularly like to exercise. I get bored easily so I don’t like running- especially on a treadmill, and I haaaate the exercise bike. And I’m not very athletic, so group sports-type stuff is just not my thing. I used to attend some yoga classes at a gym and I LOVED those- being in a class really keeps me interested and motivated (don’t want to be the Class Slacker!) but with two kids and a business to run, finding a class that fits my schedule is tough. (Which I’m bummed about. I miss my hot yoga!) But! We recently got a Kinect for our XBox360 and along with that, a fitness game (this one) I really love it. It’s fun and game-like so most of the time I forget that I’m working out, because I’m too busy trying to get the high score. So far since Christmas, I’ve managed 2 or 3 good workouts each week- which is a HUGE accomplishment for me.

I can already feel the effects. I’ve been sore a lot, but I also feel my muscles tightening up- all those muscles that, while you’re pregnant, you kind of forget to use. Like your abs. Or your hamstrings. Or basically any muscle other than the Whining Because I’m Huge And Uncomfortable Muscle. My body is already feeling stronger and I’m loving it.

2. Eat more fruits and veggies. I’m not a big veggie fan. I mean- I love carrots and green beans and asparagus, and I eat a lot of onions and bell peppers. But other than that, I’ve never been into vegetables. They just… kind of get in the way of the carbs, you know? But I’m going to make an effort to try a new vegetable now and then. Same with fruit- I’ve already tried a few varieties of pears and apples to see which ones I like the best (oh honeycrisp, you are so delicious!) And the best part is that under the new Weight Watchers points plan? Vegetables and fruit are ZERO! So I can have a whole bushel of apples and it doesn’t count! (Although, I shouldn’t do that. Probably.)

3. Drink more water. This isn’t a huge challenge for me, just something I need to remember to do. I’ve always chosen water as a beverage over pop (soda) or other stuff, but because I’m breastfeeding it’s even more important. Plus when you’re trying to lose weight, the easiest way to feel full and not like you’re starving yourself is to fill your belly with water. I have a 24oz water bottle that I fill up several times a day. My goal is to fill and empty it four times each day. I’m doing pretty well so far (I’m also spending a LOT of time peeing. HA.)

4. Be patient. It’s SO TOUGH to remember that it took nine months to gain all that weight. Since last January, my body has been through a lot and has done SO much! I also need to remember that by this point after Maggie was born, I hadn’t even started THINKING about losing the weight. So I’m already ahead of the game! And it’s unrealistic (for me) to expect that I’m going to fit into my old jeans before Audrey is 4 months old (which is, um, TOMORROW.) But: my goal is to zip those bad boys up by the time she’s 6 months old.

I only have 15 pounds to go. Someone get me an apple!
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So this week, I’m back to watching what I stuff in my face. I’m not officially tracking with Weight Watchers, but I did it for long enough that I can keep a pretty good mental tally through the day on my own.

I always do better when I start my day out with a good breakfast. Cereal is okay- and quick which is great when you have a toddler demanding WAFFLES! and BLUEBERRIES! and MILK! and CEREAL! first thing in the morning (good Lord my kid eats a TON for breakfast) But most cereal is very high in points (carbs!) and I’m usually starving within 2 hours. So I came up with some good alternatives to cereal. One of my favorites is an egg burrito. It’s low in points, delicious, and surprisingly not that involved to make. And it keeps me full for way longer than cereal.

Start with some diced onions and peppers (usually I leave these out unless it’s a day when I’m not in a hurry… which is pretty much just the weekend day I took these pictures. heh) Put them in a skillet sprayed with some cooking spray.

You can use real eggs if you prefer, but those are a lot more points/calories. 1/2 cup of egg substitute is only 2 WW points! (1/4 cup = 1 egg)

Add the eggs to the skillet.

Give it a stir and then add some black pepper. I also add a splash of milk to make the eggs a little more ‘fluffy’.

Start it cooking on low-medium heat.

When it starts to cook on the edges (usually only takes a minute or so), use a spatula to scramble it all up.

While the eggs are cooking some more, get out a wheat tortilla.

Microwave it for 10 seconds, just enough to warm it up.

Let’s check the eggs!

Everyone likes their eggs cooked to a different extent. I like mine starting to brown a bit. I HATE wet scrambled eggs. GAG.

Load the warmed tortilla with the eggs and top with some cheese (just a little bit, if you’re trying to keep points low!)

And now for the best part: KETCHUP. If you don’t like ketchup on your eggs… well, then I can’t be your friend anymore. Sorry.

(I kind of went crazy with the ketchup on this one. I usually try to skimp on the ketchup, it’s got a lot of sugar.)

Roll it all up!

YUM. Breakfast to go! (Just be careful if you try to eat it in the car… I dripped watery ketchup all over my khakis on my way to an in-office job once and ARGH was I mad.) And it’s only about 4 points.

       PRINT THIS RECIPE    

Breakfast Egg Burrito

Ingredients
1/2 cup egg substitute (EggBeaters or generic store brand)
onions & peppers, diced (optional)
splash of milk
whole wheat tortilla
shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, whatever you like!)
cooking spray
ketchup

Preparation
Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Add diced onions and peppers, and 1/4 cup egg substitute. Add some black pepper and a splash of milk. Cook eggs to desired done-ness. Place in warmed tortilla; top with cheese and ketchup. Roll and enjoy!

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Before I proceed, I thought I’d give you an update on my own weight status. It’s been a month since I officially reached my goal of 120 pounds (which was 11 pounds lost from Thanksgiving to January) I also stopped tracking my daily food intake, just to see if I could keep the weight off and do it ‘on my own’. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been very careful with what I eat every day. Mostly on the weekends- we’ve had a lot of family get-togethers and dinners out lately, and it’s always hard to eat right during those things. But, I’m happy to report that I haven’t gained anything back! I haven’t lost any more (I’ve been fluctuating between 118 and 120, which is pretty normal) but I’m still holding steady without the daily check of entering my food. So yay for that! And yay for needing to go shopping for shorts for the spring, because I HAVE NONE THAT FIT. They are all too big!

On to the advice!

Today’s Topic: Drink more water!

The first week of Weight Watchers- or any lifestyle change involving cutting back on food- is KILLER. Especially if you’re like me and you were previously eating enough for a Steelers linebacker (you know, the Steelers? From SIX-BURGH?) Which, I guess eating like a linebacker isn’t bad… if you’re actually, you know, a linebacker. But if you’re 5’3″ and only supposed to weigh 115-125, then maybe you shouldn’t be eating 3,000 calories a day, you think? So cutting those calories (or Points, as WW calls them) in half can make you cranky and hungry.

So what do you do? Somehow, you have to trick your body into not feeling hungry. Just for a little while, during that adjustment phase until things even out for you. When I really paid attention to how I was feeling, I realized that I wasn’t hungry in the sense that I was shaky and weak and had low blood sugar (because I do get that way, on occasion.) My stomach simply felt empty. And my brain said EAT EAT EAT.

Instead, I filled my stomach with water. Which is zero points! Plus, there are so many other benefits to water. It helps flush your body of toxins, which can make your skin and hair appear healthier, and it can give you more energy too. The end goal of any weight loss plan is yes, to lose pounds- but also to be healthier. Water helps with all of that.

The hardest time of day for me, hunger-wise, is late afternoon (3-5pm, right smack between lunch and dinner, PRIME snacking time!) and in the evenings before bed, usually 9 or 10pm. And of course at night after dinner when I’m hungry, I’m not looking for something healthy like a banana or a carrot. I want sugar and salt and fat and lots of it. Getting over that was tough. The first week I drank so much water and peed so often, I felt like I was 9 months pregnant again. But slowly- after about 7 or 8 days- I started not feeling so hungry during those times.

The idea was to fill my body with something else in place of high-calorie, high-fat snacks. Late-afternoon snacking is where I always load up on points, and then by dinner time I’m all, mmm, this piece of lettuce is DIVINE. What a great dinner! because that’s all the points I have left for the day. Most of it was mental, really. I just had to decide, hey, DRINK SOME WATER instead of (insert delicious but calorie-packed snack here).

Now, I know not everyone likes water. Me, I love it. I’ve been addicted to the stuff since college (yeah I know, I’m Hard Core. heh) I have never tried them myself, but I have heard quite a few people sing the praises of those fancy flavored waters. Still no points, but not as boring as water (if you consider water boring, which I don’t, actually)

For me, drinking lots of water is just a matter of habit. I try to always have a glass of fresh water nearby- on the desk, on the end table (away from curious toddler hands, of course!) and I never leave the house without my travel mug. If I forget to bring my travel mug, oh man do I feel lost and naked. I’ll keep reaching down to the cup holder at stop lights and DANG IT WHERE’S MY CUP OF WATER?

Water. H2O, baby. Drink it. Love it. It will help you! Promise.
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1. Maggie was sick again this week (yeah I realize that’s not a good thing) but the good thing was that when I took her to the doctor, it was just a nasty cold. Not an ear infection, not bronchitis. So thank goodness for that! Another tidbit of info from the drs appointment: she weight 22.8 lbs. Yes, she is almost 2 years old and hasn’t hit 23 pounds yet. PEANUT.

2. Even though she’s a light little thing, she’s been growing like a weed. I just had to pack away pants that I KNOW fit her 2 or 3 weeks ago, and now they’re way too short. I’m a little sad about this because it means she’s growing up, but I also think it’s a good thing because it means… she’s growing up.

3. I mentioned it quickly in a post last week but didn’t elaborate: Dan got a new job. Wait, didn’t he just do this not too long ago? Um yeah. He started his current job when Maggie was just a few weeks old. It’s been almost 2 years, and for various reasons, he felt it was time to move on. He started looking around and interviewing, not entirely sure he’d have much luck given the state of the economy right now. But thankfully, Computer Geek Programmers are in high demand in our area so he found something great pretty quickly. He starts on Feb 9. His last day at his current job is Tuesday, which means he has a few days off in between. So yay! He’s very excited about the new job- it’s farther away (downtown Pittsburgh) but he’s done the drive before and says it will be worth it.

4. Tomorrow. Steelers. Super Bowl. Party at our house. I don’t think I need to say much more than that.

5. My new smaller jeans from NY&Co are getting a little baggy on me. w00t.

6. Work for me has been BUSY. Several new jobs in the last month, launched a few sites, a couple of new leads and meetings coming up. Again, very surprised that I’m so busy. Usually January and February are slow so I was worried about things would be this year. Very blessed. And a bit overwhelmed.

7. Possibly planning a trip with a blogger-friend to visit another blogger-friend. SQUEEEE!

8. Maggie has learned about a bazillion new things recently. She knows Mommy and Maggie are a girls and Daddy is a boy. She’s very concerned with who owns things- ‘MINE!’ and ‘MOMMY’S!’ and ‘MANNIE’S!’ (that’s how she says ‘Maggie’). Every time she eats something, she proclaims it ‘delicious‘.

9. Much-needed night out last night with the Burgh Mom Bloggers.

10. Today Maggie refused to snuggle with Dan. ‘Snuggle Mommy!??!’ she kept insisting. So I got to snuggle on the couch with her and watch Gilmore Girls while Daddy cleaned up the kitchen. I love my kid.
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Could I stand to lose a few more pounds? Probably. Mostly, I could stand to get some more muscle on my body, but between Maggie and work and life lately, I don’t always have the energy or the time to do what I want to do. If I can make it to power yoga or pilates once a week, that’s pretty much a miracle. I’m longing for warmer weather so we can go for walks in the sunshine (unfortunately, that’s a long way off…) But I feel great about where I am now weight-wise (and pants-wise!!! NO MORE MUFFIN TOP.) so at least I’ve made that progress.

Since I posted about my progress, I’ve received quite a few questions about Weight Watchers, how it works, and just weight loss in general. I am BY NO MEANS an expert, but over the next few weeks, I thought I would share some things that I have learned- about food, about the mental hurdles I had to leap over, recipes, tricks for beating hunger- that sort of thing. I don’t know about you, but I can read those articles in magazines written by ‘experts’ until my eyeballs fall out of my head, but until someone in Real Life tells me their story or method, it doesn’t actually sink in.

NOTE: I am NOT a nutritionist. I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT an employee for Weight Watchers, nor am I getting paid to say good things about Weight Watchers. I am just a mother who needed to lose some weight and wanted to do it in the most healthy way I could for myself. DO NOT SUE ME IF IT DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU. heh.

Today’s Topic: Weight Watchers Online and Why I Love It So.

I’m a big fan of Weight Watchers- at least the online version. I have never been to a Real Life Weight Watchers meeting, so I can’t really give an opinion on that aspect of it. But the online tool is fantastic. I’ve used it twice now- last fall, when I still had 20+ pounds on me left over from being pregnant with Maggie, and again during these past few months to lose that last 10 pounds, once and for all. It’s not really magic or anything- it all comes down to basic math, really- but believe me, when you see the number on the scale and the number on your pants size dropping, it certainly feels like magic.

I need something that keeps me honest and holds me accountable. And really, I could probably do it all myself by hand or use a free tool to track calories. I have actually done that before, back in 2003 when I lost 25 pounds using a free online food tracker. But honestly, Weight Watchers works much faster. It took me nearly a year to lose what I lost in 3 months using WW last year, and about 4 months to lose what I just lost in under 2 months using WW. It’s more efficient and a lot simpler to use, in my opinion.

Also, for me, the online tool is enough. However, I have talked to some other people who have used Weight Watchers who say that they needed the motivation of an upcoming meeting to keep them accountable. But either way, the end result is the same: keeping track of what you eat- HONESTLY keeping track, no cheating or lying or fudging the numbers!- is a nearly fool-proof way of losing weight, at least in my experience.

Weight Watchers Online is a subscription service. There are several different membership options- you can read more about them here.

When you first sign up, you’ll be asked a series of questions about your weight loss goals, your height and current weight, your daily activity level, and whether or not you are a nursing mom (I believe nursing moms get an extra 10 points per day, but I’m not positive. Can anyone confirm that?) Your responses are used to calculate your daily points allowance- in my case, that was 21. You also get 35 weekly points that you can use or not use, it’s completely up to you. Weight Watchers does recommend that you always use your daily points though- you want to make sure you’re eating enough to keep your metabolism going. But don’t worry- 21 points is NOT very much. I never ever had a problem reaching that number, heh.

And just to clarify: Weight Watchers does not have specific food you have to eat. You can eat your own food, you can go out to restaurants, you can eat whatever you want. You just have to keep track of what you eat so you know if you’ve pigged out too much. If you want to spend all your daily points on a burger from Red Robin (because OH YES, they are that many points, ASK ME HOW I KNOW.), you are welcome to do that… though it’s not recommended, obviously. Weight Watchers does have some frozen meals that are pre-labeled with points values, but they are not required by any means. (However, some of them aren’t bad at all- I like to keep a few on hand for quick and easy lunches, especially if I know we’re going to be eating a less-than-healthy dinner. I can keep an easier handle on my daily points that way.)

The Points Tracker tool itself is simple: you enter your food from breakfast, lunch, dinner, plus any snacks you eat throughout the day, and it calculates your points for you. The database has a TON of common foods, restaurant foods, condiments, beverages, etc. If for some reason you can’t find your food in their list, you can always create it and enter the nutritional information yourself. I’ve done this for a few things (mostly restaurant items- I found the calories and fat info via Google) You can also save favorite items and even meals in an easy to access list, which is great- saves time, especially if you eat the same thing for breakfast each morning, for example.

One of my favorite parts of the Points Tracker is that I can add my own recipes into my library and it will calculate the points for me. This is extremely helpful in making recipes more healthy too- I can mess with the ingredients, use less cheese (*CRY*), use low-fat sour cream, leaner meat, etc and I can see immediately how that will help me save on points. Awesome.

Another feature of the online tool is the Activity Tracker. I will embarrassingly admit that I didn’t get as much use out of this feature as I should have, because my workouts have been few and far between. But they do have a nice way of tracking your activities and workouts- and when you add something in, you get some credit points toward your weekly Points allowance! And believe me- any extra points you can get are much appreciated.

There is also a Weight Tracker, which was both my favorite and least favorite part. Least favorite because Tuesday night (my weigh-in day was Wednesday) I would start stressing about the weight I probably didn’t lose that week. It ended up being my favorite though, because every Wednesday morning, I would find that I had lost at least a pound. Also- I love graphs, so I could view my progress with neat little stars marking the milestones and see it all in a nice, descending line. Talk about satisfying!

So that’s the basic run-down of Weight Watchers Online based on my experience with it. I hope I answered everyone’s questions! You can always find out more on the Weight Watchers website, or leave a comment or email me with your questions and I’ll answer it in the next ‘installment’!

Happy Weight Loss :)
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I owe it mostly to Weight Watchers, which is the tool I use- the tool I NEED- in order to keep track of what I’m putting into my body. If I’m not forced to face the music each night and write down what I ate that day, I play oblivious and pretend that I didn’t actually eat that third chocolate covered pretzel. It’s all about accountability, I guess. Last year I used WW (just the online version, no real-life meetings) to lose the last 20 pounds of baby weight, and it worked wonderfully. But then I stopped using it, and gradually over about 8 or 9 months, I started back to my old habits of Eating Like A Pig and I gained weight again. Not a ton of weight- maybe 5 pounds- but it was noticeable and I hated how it made me feel. Which was… Like A Pig.

So the day before Thanksgiving, I decided to give it a try again. And the same day, I stumbled upon The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and took it as another sign that Yes Jen, you need to do this. You need to do this NOW. So I slapped their little badge on my sidebar and officially joined their Current Challenge – to be lighter by the holidays. I found the irony of starting all of it right before the most notorious eating day of the year kind of hilarious. But even if I didn’t lose much weight – or any weight- I hoped that maybe I wouldn’t have quite as much work to do after the holidays.

And as it turns out, I don’t have ANY work to do. I’m back in a size 6, my shirts and bras and even my underwear fit better. I was even able to take back some dress pants I gave to my mom a few months ago (she says they’re too ‘young’ for her, what with the boot-cut legs and low-cut waist, heh). I went clothes shopping last week and I actually had FUN. It was awesome.

All that being said, I still have more I’d like to do. Not really weight loss, but getting in shape. I haven’t been able to make it to yoga more than once a week, and my plans of working out at home in between those classes have been foiled by things like Christmas, New Years, a sick kid, and just plain not feeling like it. Exercise has always been a hard thing for me to stick to- especially when I have such success with watching what I eat, I think mentally I’m all, ‘bah, who wants to get sweaty and tired? I’ll just skip that second helping of spaghetti at dinner tonight.’ So that’s definitely something I want to work on.

My only disappointment in all of this: that I forgot to take a before picture to compare to after! The only physical evidence I have is the pile of size 8 jeans that fall off of my butt. Which I guess is good enough ;)

Obviously, I’m ecstatic about my progress. I reflected a few weeks ago about how miserable and awful I felt 2 years ago after giving birth- which I know is normal and every mom goes through it. I think back to then and think about how I feel now, and I barely feel like the same person!

If you have weight to lose- 5 pounds, 30 pounds, 100 pounds- YOU CAN DO IT. It takes a commitment above anything else, and there are so many tools out there to help you. I chose Weight Watchers, but that might not be right for you. Find what works. If I can do it- a notorious Over-Eater among my friends & family (seriously- I had a co-worker time me once at lunch, I eat fast and I eat A LOT if I get carried away.)- then anyone can.
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Since then, I have lost 8.6 pounds. I’m calling it 8 because I don’t want to be accused of cheating or anything. But yeah. This morning I weighed 122.4. ONE TWENTY-TWO! I haven’t seen that number on the scale since 2005, just after my sister got married. I had just switched jobs/careers to one where I was sitting in a cubicle and very quickly I gained 10 pounds or so, and then I got knocked up and… well, here we are.

I am absolutely thrilled and amazed that I’ve lost so much so quickly. I was even able to get into my ‘skinny’ jeans earlier this week (not as in skinny jeans, but my jeans I can only wear when I’m skinny. just wanted to clarify.)

When I first decided to join in The Challenge, I wasn’t sure what my goal was. basically I figured even if I didn’t lose much or any at all by the end of the month, at least I would hopefully not have quite as much work to do after the holidays. I knew I wanted to lose at least 5, possibly 10 pounds. Which isn’t much compared to the 20 I lost last year or the 25 I lost a few years earlier, but that last 5-10 is the hardest, right?

And for some reason, this time, it’s even more exciting. I think it’s because after you have a kid, everything about you changes- mentally and physically. My body is so very different now. I have stretch marks I didn’t used to have, my hips are permanently wider (the bones MOVED and I could feel it while pregnant and LORDY DID IT HURT.)

The other night Maggie climbed up on the couch next to me while I was on the computer and asked to see ‘the baby’. She likes when I go through baby pictures of her on the computer and let her look at them- she likes to point out ‘Gramma!’ and ‘Shell!’ and ‘Michael!’ and ‘PapPap!’. So I went all the way back to the first day and first week of her life. While we were going through the pictures, I was remembering how awful I felt during those days. I was so happy and elated and in love with my baby, but physically and mentally I was a mess. I hated the way I felt and looked (and I STILL cringe when I see pictures of my puffy-self in those first days after she was born- those are the ones I have never shared on Flickr, heh) I just knew I would never, ever feel normal again.

But here I am, feeling normal. Actually, BETTER than normal. I am, dare I say it, happy with my body again. That’s something I doubted would ever happen again. Sure, I still have those stretch marks on my belly and my legs, but I’m fine with those. They are reminders of my beautiful baby girl.

And plus, jeans cover those up. SKINNY JEANS, even.
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