The Breakthrough

On occasion, when a topic pops into my mind to blog about, I write the subject line down and eventually come back to it. Two weeks ago, I wrote two words, “The Breakthrough”. I was tired of the plateau I was on and decided to kick things up a notch. I made the decision to really crack down on what I was eating and drinking and to increase the intensity of my exercise. And voila- results!

Something my Weight Watcher’s leader said in our meeting that morning made perfect sense. Sometimes people say “this program is not working for me” but in reality, they are not working the program. If you follow the Weight Watcher’s program, even tweaking it to meet your needs and lifestyle, it works!

Over the past two weeks, I dropped 4.1 pounds. I am officially down 24 pounds and am at a weight I haven’t seen since 2004. Yah-freakin-hoo-doo-dle-dee-doo! So how did I jumpstart my weight loss again?

I was extremely mindful about the quality of foods I put in my body, going for whole unprocessed foods (when possible).  I switched out my beloved white bread to white whole grain bread (baby steps, couldn’t jump right to wheat). ;) I made sure I had more dairy and was hitting my water quota. I only ate out twice, one time I made wise choices and the other time I had pizza and fries (hey, you have to live a little). I made sure we had ample healthy groceries in the house. I only had 1-2 point or 0 point snacks after dinner.  I paid close attention to the extra calories I was drinking, and I dusted off my favorite Weight Watcher’s cookbook and went back to some stand-by recipes. Folks, this is nothing earth shattering, but small changes lead to big results (long term).

I also cranked up my fitness. When I walk on the treadmill, I usually walk 3.0 to 3.2 MPH. Over the past two weeks, I’ve done small cardio bursts on the treadmill, walking 3.0 then fast walking 3.7. I also started wogging at the Y with my hubby Nate. Wogging? Walking and jogging of course.  I have been afraid to try jogging because I have two bad knees. I had tendonitis in both knees in high school and wasn’t sure I could ever jog again. So for most of my life, to save my knees, I’ve been doing low impact cardio. But I thought, let me test the waters a bit. I started out walking the Y track and jogging 1 lap and I’ve slowly increased my laps to jogging 8 which equals a half a mile. Jogging a half a mile and my knees still feel great, I’ll take it. I’m hoping that I can continue to increase my jogging because Nate used to run 5K’s and I’d love to be able to run with him someday- we’ll see.

All in all, it’s been a fantastic two weeks. Being able to up my weight loss while trying to manage the pre-Christmas chaos, multiple kids’ sports activities and working a lot of hours hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Limitless Part II

Last Saturday, I rolled out of bed. I wanted to go to Weight Watcher’s, but I was cold and my bed was toasty and it was early (well early for me).  My bed was so warm and toasty that I got up late, forced myself out of bed and went to the meeting, as is.

I was already reluctant to weigh in, not only was it the week after my Thanksgiving indulgences, but I hadn’t been on the scale for four weeks. What can I say? Sometimes life gets in the way and boy do those weeks fly by. So I grudgingly faced the scale and I gained .8 pounds. Considering the circumstances, coming off a week filled with so many pieces of chocolate cake that I had to throw it away and not putting my best foot forward for four weeks, I wasn’t surprised.

As I sat in the chair, waiting for the meeting to start, I fought off the negative voices and replaced them with thoughts like “Hey, at least you came back and you didn’t give up. And usually after a holiday binge, it’s easier to just stop and say ‘I’ll try another time’”.  While I was sitting in my chair, giving myself a pep talk, a familiar face walked in the door.

Many months ago, there was a woman named R (keeping her privacy) that walked in and sat next to me. It was her first Weight Watcher’s meeting. She walked in using a walker, harrumphing as she sat down. R confided that she was really nervous that she wouldn’t be able to lose weight. She was limited to her walker and couldn’t exercise. She lived alone and didn’t have anyone to help her out and hold her accountable. After exchanging a few encouraging words at the end of the meeting, R and I went our separate ways.

Fast forward to last Saturday. I hadn’t seen R in a while because I switched meeting days and I could not believe my eyes when she walked in the door. She looked fantastic!! I was so overjoyed to see her success, R had lost 50 pounds. She moved from a walker to a cane when her doctor told her she would always need her walker. In addition she had reduced several of her medications.

I was SO happy for this woman named R, a woman I barely knew; she really inspired me.  It made me think about my Limitless post from a few months ago. R faced so many obstacles, yet she didn’t let them get in the way of her success. R persevered and her persistence paid off. Instead of putting up excuses, she put up results and week by week she has changed how she lives her life.

I love seeing these success stories happen right before my eyes at my weekly Weight Watcher’s meetings. Besides working toward my own goals, these real life stories really keep me going.

This week, I encourage you to break free from the limits you place on yourself and that others place on you. You will be amazed at the great things you can do!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

The Panis

This Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Lydia enlightened me to a new term- panis. Lydia is a nurse and somehow we got on the topic of her overweight patients and their panis’s. According to the Urban Dictionary- a panis is an unsightly bulge that hangs over ones belt. There are more graphic definitions, but let’s just leave those to your imagination.

As we sat around gorging ourselves with Thanksgiving deliciousness, we heard tales of the items that Lydia has found stuck in her patient’s panis’s- a TV remote control, a half of sandwich. And while of course we were chuckling about it, obesity is no laughing matter.

The word panis has now become a visual weight loss cue in my vocabulary- why? Because I don’t want to have one. In my heavier days, I had one. You know, that lovely roll of lower belly fat that kind of spreads out and touches everything when you bend down to pick something up. Need I say more?

And while I did over-indulge this Thanksgiving, I’m still feeling pretty great. For the first time in a long time, I can say that I am content with how I look, but more importantly with how I feel. I’m still not at my goal weight, but hey, I’m just feeling SO much better. The weight is coming off super slow, but I am focusing on how I feel- mentally, physically, spiritually- and (most days) I feel fantastic.

Maybe this feeling and appreciation comes with getting older? The first time around on Weight Watcher’s, I was so goal driven that I forgot to cherish the process and my progress. You know, the whole “it’s the journey not the destination thing”.  And this time, I am just so appreciative that I even get to be on this journey. I am thankful that I have made the choice to take care of me, because, in turn, this helps me to take care of others. I am thankful that I can afford the Weight Watcher’s meetings. I am thankful that I have friends and family that support my efforts. I am thankful that I have work-life balance and a schedule that helps me do what I need to do. I am thankful that each day I have more energy to exercise and even more so that I enjoy it. I am thankful that God has given me a body that works and the wisdom to know I need to take care of it, because it’s the only one I’ll get.

And lastly, I’m thankful that I don’t have a panis (anymore). ;) Ha, ha!

Hoping that your Thanksgiving gratitude carries over into the Christmas season, I am thankful for you!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara