Dare I even say it? When the whole raison d’être of my blog, Losing It! was to track my original 50 pound weight loss?
Ahem. About that.
So yeah. I gained it all back. It took several years and a year and a half of personal crisis, but every last pound has been laid back on and I feel absolutely MIS.ER.A.BLE. My clothes don’t fit well (if at all) anymore. I don’t sleep well. My hips ache. I really don’t like what I see when I look at the mirror or at pictures of my current self.
So it’s time for a change. And as cliché as it sounds, I’m starting that change today, on New Year’s Day. I joined Weight Watchers (again). But this time, I’m trying the online membership. At first, I thought it was a sort of light version of the “real” thing (as in, going to meetings), but I was so totally impressed by the online tools and the corresponding iPhone app. I can track my points and look up ANY food’s points value without having to carry around a bunch of little booklets, and I can track my points in my iPhone without conspicuously pulling out a tracking booklet.
Plus, Weight Watchers recently overhauled their whole program, and — despite the fact I was very successful with their old program — I really like what they’ve done with it. Basically what they’ve changed things around to overcome some of the problems caused by packaged food manufacturers making highly-processed low-fat, high-fibre foods to appeal to dieters (which partly explains the whole obesity epidemic despite record levels of dieting).
To compare the two plans, here’s a typical breakfast I would eat on the old Weight Watchers program:
59g Mini-Wheats (3 points)
1/2 cup skim milk (1 point)
TOTAL: 4 points
And a breakfast I would have passed over as too high in points:
Activia yogurt (3 points)
1 banana (2 points)
1/4 cup granola (3 points)
TOTAL: 8 points
But with the new PointsPlus program on WW, fruits are now in the much-coveted zero points food category (YES! Finally!) and processed, high-fibre stuff like Mini-Wheats are higher in points. (And yeah, I know that fruits have calories and sugar, but as my old WW leader used to say, none of us got fat eating too many apples!) So here’s how my breakfast choices shape up in the new world:
Mini-Wheats and milk is now EIGHT points!
Yogurt, banana and granola is now SIX points!
Decision made! And: you get more points overall than before. So I’m pretty happy at this point. Supposedly you still manage to lose weight at a healthy rate of up to two pounds per week (after the first few weeks). That will remain to be seen over time, but I’m optimistic about it. Here’s to change!
Hi Kath – I feel your pain. I went on a real health kick last year and lost 25 kg and looked better than I had in many years. Definitely HOT, LOL. But when I returned from my trip to Canada, I had some personal issues then some very serious health issues (I had a tumour removed in November) and it was all downhill from there. I have resolved though to get back into shape in 2011 and keep it off. I’ll be thinking of you! P.S. I don’t do WW – but I hit the gym really, REALLY hard and ate small meals. Losing weight in your 40’s is also damn hard but worth it!
I am right there with you. I have done WW in the past before but have just started on their newly revamped plan and I’m loving it, too! Here’s the skinny rears in the new year!! 🙂
Yes – what Nancy said – be kind to thyself, babe. And yay for you for wanting to make changes for yourself! I hear excellent things about the online weight watchers thing, so that totally rocks.
I’m beginning this year at the heaviest I’ve ever been, but it’s totally from too much wine and cheese, and from sitting on my butt for the past several weeks during our malaise and stuff… it’s not quite the same, I know, but it never feels good when your clothes don’t fit right, no matter what size they are.
You can do it, doll!! I’m rooting for you!!!
best of luck Kath-that is a challenge and I am sure you can do it. hang in there and be kind to thy self