It's a New Day

It's a New Day - that is the slogan for Weight Watchers. I have not blogged about it at all, but most of my family and friends know I have been following the Weight Watchers program since May and since it has worked for me I wanted to share my experience. Warning: This post is long and a lot of you might not care at all about it, but if it  helps one person, then I am glad!

The first time I started Weight Watchers was in December 2008. Eric and I had met in January earlier that year and as most new couples do we fell into a routine of eating out a lot,  having beverages and not exercising. I remember the exact moment when I realized that I needed to change my habits. I was with my mom at the outlet malls in Austin and we were shopping for Ashley's Bachelorette party and I had to buy a size I would never have thought I would wear at the Michael Kors Outlet. It was an awful feeling. My mom and grandmother had been doing Weight Watchers and both had success with it, so I think I said to my mom, embarrassed, "I think I need to join Weight Watchers." Or she told me she would pay for it if I did it, I can't really remember, one or the other! We both realized I had gained weight.

I attended my first meeting right after Thanksgiving and could not believe my weight. My starting weight was 160.6. Yup, I am putting it out there. I was almost disgusted with myself for letting it get that bad. I couldn't believe it, I didn't feel like I was some super huge person, I just had gotten a little "softer" and obviously the proof was there. I started tracking my points using the Weight Watchers eTools and the iphone app and getting back to the gym. I always ate a very healthy lunch and learned to turn away from temptation and exercise portion control. I attended meetings every week. I am a big advocate of the meeting. By the time Ashley's wedding came at the end of January, I had lost about 6 lbs and it did wonders for my self esteem being a bridesmaid. Over the next couple of months I lost almost 20 lbs by June.  I felt great. I was working out regularly and bought new clothes. That dress I wore for the bachelorette party was out of my closet.

Here is where my problem came. I was happy with my weight but didn't pick a goal weight. I wanted to lose more, but got satisfied with where I was. I stopped going to meetings and tracking. I would go every once in a while to see where I was and I didn't gain much at first, but slowly but surely the pounds came back on. We got engaged and I felt like I was in happy planning mode. I started going to meetings and weighing in again. I went up and down for a couple of months and the last time I went was in March and I weighed 146 (down from the previous times). I went to the doctor right before our wedding and I remember weighing around 150. But I was fine with it. My dress fit, I was happy, not stressed. Wedding day came and went. Best day ever, by the way.  I felt comfortable with my body on our honey moon in a swimsuit. We got back and I decided I needed to be the homemaker wife and start cooking. I found tons of great recipes and learned my way around the kitchen. The recipes were not the healthiest though and don't even get me started on the baked goods I was baking... I ran a half marathon in December 2010, so I was running a lot. I didn't lose much weight but I think that is what saved me at first from gaining it all back. After the race, I stopped running. It got cold, I was burnt out, excuses, excuses. I "hibernated" all winter.

Fast forward almost a year later. I didn't have a wedding to think about, a dress to fit in. I was cooking and enjoying it. I was not running regularly. It is now May 2011 and my pants are starting to get tight. I start running again outside some, but it is hard to get back into it. I am struggling with three miles at an awful pace. Once again, I had to buy a dress for an event and I bought a that same size I bought before. I loved the dress and I was comfortable in it, but ughh that size! It was a 10 by the way in a Nine West dress.

After that, I told myself it was time to make a change and since I knew Weight Watchers worked, it was time to go back. My first meeting back was May 3rd and I weighed in a 159. One pound away from 160. I was so glad I went and didn't feel bad about myself, but motivated to lose it. And this time I was super serious about it. I have lost the weight quickly, but safely. I consistently lost and hardly ever gained. I went to the gym religiously. By now it was the Texas summer and there was no way I could run outside, so the treadmill became my best friend. I reached my goal weight on August 2nd, 140 lbs. I lost 19 lbs in three months. I went from my size 6 pants being too tight to having to get rid of baggy size 4s. All of my dresses are going to have to be taken in. It is a great feeling and most of all I am proud of myself for sticking with it. Since I reached my goal and liftetime status, I tracked at first and I have stayed within 2 lbs of it, some weeks going lower even. But once again, I am feeling like I have got off track. Part of the reason for this blog post is to recommit myself to tracking. I am never going to have to go back and be almost 160 lbs again. I will not be a yoyo dieter. Weight Watchers is a lifestyle and while yes it has helped me make healthier decisions (and the fact I run so much) has helped me not gain a lot back, not tracking will take its toll on you. I am back to tracking this week and will be weighing in next week. With the holidays upon us, it could be very easy to get too relaxed and pack on some pounds. I don't want to do that and I will not.

 Feeling great! September 2011

So that is my story! I wanted to incorporate my Weight Watchers journey into the blog before, but never did because I just felt like it was too personal, no one cared, or it was even almost embarrassing to go to Weight Watchers and admit I had a weight issue. I know there are lots of women and men out there who's weight is a constant struggle, so I wanted to share how this has worked for me. I am not perfect and like I said, I am recommitting myself to tracking and making sure the weight stays off this time. I would love to hear your weight loss or WW story if you have one! This post was more of my story, but I will post some of the tips I have found to work for me soon! Thanks for listening if you got to the end of this! :)