Update: Spring into Summer! Down 14 Pounds!

So some of you may be wondering how things turned out with the 90-Day Challenge I blogged about in February. You may remember that we discussed that Springtime was the best time to embark on a weight-loss program:

• The days are becoming longer and warmer,
• We want to wear less clothing than we did in the winter,
• We find that we are less attached to some of our comfort foods, and
• Brighter mornings allow us to do a workout before we jump in the shower!

One of the most important components of any successful weight-loss program is support. With that in mind, a friend of mine joined Weight Watchers and invited me to attend a meeting with her. Initially, I thought that I didn't need or like that kind of crowd support, so I turned down her invitation. During the next few weeks, however, she began to lose weight, while I noticed that I didn't have much motivation to keep my eating on track, when faced with yummy goodies on the job (or courtesy of my husband).

Finally, I joined her at her Saturday a.m. meeting. The members were positive, the leader was enthusiastic. Although I already knew a lot about Body Transformation, some of the tricks and techniques I heard were new to me. I liked the friendly atmosphere and the sharing of ideas. I bought a Weight Watchers kit for $29 (on sale) and, in the first few days, was reading, writing, measuring, and comparing! By the next meeting, I was already down 1.2 pounds, so I joined on the spot.

I knew that I had to become more aware of my food triggers, so I became fastidious about keeping records. Weight Watchers uses a points-value system; whenever you want to eat a food, you run the numbers through a short formula, to determine the points. When you exercise, you add points to your day/week allowance. You have a daily target, as to the number of points you consume.

The nifty Weight Watchers app has become an indispensable tool for me, as I use it every time I go shopping. It has a built-in calculator and this comes in very handy. For example, let's say you're hungry and find yourself in a Starbucks, as I often do, eyeing the Double Fudge Brownies. A quick glance at your WW calculator will tell you that eating that brownie would use up 11 of your daily 29 points. Not worth it, right? But what if 1/4 of the brownie will do to satisfy your sweet tooth until you get home for dinner?

What did I do? I asked for a knife and cut the brownie into four pieces. I lovingly and proudly popped the brownie bite into my mouth, savoured all of its goodness, and took the other three bites home...to be freezer bound.

And has my discipline paid off? Here is a progress report:

Feb 16: attended first meeting

Feb 28: down 4.5 lbs.

Mch 31: no change

Apr 30: down 1.5 lbs.

May 31: down 2 lbs.

Jun 30: down 6 lbs. 

Total: I'm down 14 pounds so far, and still counting! My goal weight is 1.5 pounds away, which I will most likely accomplish in the next one to two weeks!

During those first few weeks, grocery shopping gave me quite a lot of anxiety. My husband eats the SAD (Standard American Diet) way...really bad! He'd text me, asking me to bring home a Ben &  Jerry's (he doesn't see much beyond his nose) or a Hagen Daas for him! Getting to the ice cream freezer  would require me to wander through the bakery. The appearance of the treats, the delicious aromas, and the memories of croissants, cheese buns, and bagels...it was hard to bear.

What did I do, to help me resist temptation? A la Regis, I phoned a friend...well not quite, I texted a friend, my dear WW buddy! 'I'm going crazy in the bakery aisle', I'd text. 'Stay strong', she'd reply, 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' she'd add!

Every day now, we text each other. What we're eating, what we're drinking, how we're feeling. At least once a week, we go for a long walk in the park at 6:00am. We don't talk about the program much, but we get to share about the rest of our daily lives.

After all, losing weight is just one component of a healthy, balanced life!