I still can’t quite believe it. I look at the numbers and my heart flutters. A smile grows big on my face. I feel proud.
During my first month of Weight Watchers, my first-ever successful month where I lost consistently, I lost 6 pounds. Considering it took me 3 months in Summer 2007 to lose 15 pounds, this is a major accomplishment. I can’t believe I’m just 4 pounds away from losing 10 pounds – a milestone in any weight-loss journey.
I can’t say I feel any different. My clothes don’t feel looser and I don’t have any more energy than before. But I do feel more in control. I know I wrote about it before but I can’t stress it enough! After my success in 2007 and later setback, I tried Weight Watchers again and again, always quitting after a few weeks. I found it so hard to stay committed to the program. I never tracked, cheated as often as I could, and barely ever hit the gym.
It’s funny how busy I am now, but I find it easier to stay on the program. I’m still finding time, five days a week, to exercise. I’m tracking every morsel of food I put in my mouth. I’m measuring out everything I eat. And as rollercoaster as my emotions have been over the past week, I haven’t looked at food as a way to help me with my emotions. (Although my mom did offer to take me out to ice cream after I had a meltdown on Friday. ENABLER!)
I’m really pleased with my success. I know it’s not always going to be this easy. In fact, there is a lady in my meeting who has been stuck at 20 lbs since MAY. In the past month, she’s lost 5 lbs. I couldn’t imagine being on a plateau for that long and still sticking with it. That, my friends, is dedication.
Although I never really sat down and wrote out goals for my first month, I knew there were 3 things I wanted to get accomplished: tracking, exercise, and water. I just wanted to ease into this month and lose some weight. I wanted to track what I ate, exercise at least 3 times a week, and drink more water. And I did all that. And now I want to set some new goals for my second month so I can keep losing and keep this weight loss thing interesting.
This month, one of my big goals is to start strength-training. I always tell myself I don’t have enough time but I’m really going to try to make time twice a week to do this. Strength-training is one of my favorite ways to exercise and I already have loads and loads of different moves from my Shape magazines. I just need to implement some type of program and find a time of day to do these. Plus, it’s really going to help with my weight loss!
Another goal of mine this month is to stop counting my exercise points as extra points. With Weight Watchers, we are allowed to do this but we also get 35 extra points a week to do with what we please. My mom hasn’t counted her exercise points for a long time, even though she gets a lot of them! I’m really hoping this will amp up my weight loss. Plus, sometimes I tend to cheat on exercise points. (What?! Two points for 30 minutes on the elliptical? No way…it has to at least be 3!) So I want to stop exercising so much for points as for my health. (Although I’m still not in love with it, but I don’t despise it as much as I used to.)
Lastly, I really need to drink more water. I’m just not a big fan of this tasteless beverage. (And I’ve tried flavored water, which just doesn’t taste right.) I want to drink at least 3 bottles a day, which gives me about 51 ounces a day. And, for me, that is a LOT of water. This will also help cut down my soda habit, something I’m hoping to really get rid of. I hate this addiction I have towards soda. I’m going to start instituting “No Coke Days” once a week, probably on Saturdays. I wanted to start last Saturday but dang it, I have an addiction! It’s so hard to not drink the stuff. I would quit cold turkey but I’ve tried that before and it really messes with my body. (Yes. I’m like an alcoholic. Only with soda. A sodaholic? Do they have support groups for people like me?) And I drink the good stuff, not that diet crap. My screwed-up thinking is that regular soda has a points value (3 points for a 12-ounce can), diet soda does not. The points value keeps me somewhat in check. If I was drinking diet soda, I could have as much as I want for 0 points.
So those are my three goals for next month. I also have a 5K planned for April 10th. I’m nowhere near ready to run the whole thing. I’m shooting to be able to run a mile, walk a mile, and run my last mile. Fingers crossed!
Congratulations, Stephany! Keep up the awesome work!
Great job and way to set goals. You will totally rock the 5k, I know it! The one thing I hate about having to drink so much water is having to pee so much!!!
I'm so proud of you! Awesome work! The thing about soda that got me to finally stop drinking it–diet or regular–was after a long string of nights where I had been sleeping restlessly and waking up unrested, I read that if you drink soda/caffeine after 4PM, you will most likely be up all night. After a couple days of first not drinking caffeine after 4pm, and then not at all, I started sleeping like a baby! Also, I have a really interesting email I'd love to show you about all these horrifying coke facts (I know, you must be so excited), such as to carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the Commercial trucks must use hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials. I was horrified too; I love coke! But yikes!
Congrats girl! Six pounds is huge, and I'm sure you can feel the difference. Keep on going! I REALLY need to drink more water, too. If you find an effective way of doing it, share it with me!
An easy way to drink more water is to squeeze part of a lemon into it. Or keep a bottle of lemon juice in your fridge and use a little bit. It makes water taste better without being flavored. Don't add sugar, though. Sugar doesn't dissolve in cold water so it's a waste of time and a waste of perfectly good lemon water. Mix it up and try lime juice as well.
Hooray! Congratulations for sticking to it and meeting your goals! I have the same problem with soda (and only regular Coke–diet is absolutely disgusting!), but it's a sloooow process to eventually get it out of the system haha. I've finally gotten down to no more than 1 a day, and usually only 4 times a week, but I definitely sympathise! I know you'll do amazing keeping it up for Month 2, too 🙂
Congrats Stephany, such big, wonderful steps. You're doing awesome!
I'm SO proud of you! For three years I worked as a diabetic clinical research coordinator, the last 1.5 years of it was doing weight counseling (i know, if they ever read my food blog or am around me during meal times I'd totally lose my credibility) but what i wanted to tell you is from my experience your goals are very manageable! You can do it!!
I left you something on my blog today!
I'm SO SO happy for you!
I kicked soda a long time ago. I just quit cold turkey. Now, I still have some every once and awhile (usually diet), but it's not something I feel like I NEED. One time, my doctor told me to that a 20oz soda has 17 teaspoons in it. Imagine taking that much sugar and eating it…well that's like drinking a soda. It didn't really make me stop…but looking back I wish it did haha it took a while after that for me to give it up.
I'm lucky, I like water and at my 2nd job I drink water all day long, I usually get in about 8 cups at work alone! I def. find that working out consistently makes me thirsty so I want to drink more water during and after my work outs!
p.s. You signed up for a 5k?! That's awesome!! Definitely a great goal to work for!
(yea…I overuse the exclamation points, I know…but it's hard to express my excitement haha)
That's amazing! I'd really like to start running. I've always been a horrible runner. I'm not a bad sprinter, but when it comes to endurance, I'm terrible. So that's one thing I hope I can accomplish in my life…eventually. Lol.
Yay Stephany! 😀 Personally, I had to grin over your coke addiction, because I once had to get over a small addiction to it. Something messed up and I got allergic to coke [and other soft drinks] so now the only soft drink I can have is Sprite, and every once in a great while [we're talking about a couple times a year] I can have a rootbeer. But that's basically it. So I 'feel your pain' over having to cut back on the sodas. 😉
<3
God bless,
~Laura
way to go! I wish I had any kind of willpower to stick with some sort of diet. I just don't think I could handle it. I do have to get into a better exercise routine though… your post is so motivating! Maybe I'll look into it right now… And keep up the good work!!:D
YAY for YOU!!! If you just can't stand water, try Market Pantry sparkling water…they have it at Target…does not even resemble water, but has 0 calories! Makes you think you're drinking a soft drink.
Great Job! This is very exciting news. You've worked so hard and I'm glad your seeing the results you want.. it's very encouraging to here a good story of will power. I know quitting pop (soda?) is tough once you drink it a lot (I used to), but now I prefer water ever since I forced myself to stop drinking it for a long period of time. I have it occasionally but it doesn't even taste good now.. like what the heck do they put in there anyways?
Anywho, Congrats on your progress. Hang in there and keep us up to date with you status – hopefully the accountability is helpful 🙂
Does it help if the water is ice cold?
Go us and the exercise – went for the longest run yet yesterday (okay, so I walked a lot of it) and I felt SO GOOD. Not like I was dying. I actually enjoyed it!
So awesome to hear! You go girl! I will be right along side ya with your goal to drink more water. I need to start doing more of that myself… Keep me posted love.
Best,
Hannah Katy
Congrats!! That is awesome.
I'm REALLY proud of you! You have such dedication and it's paying off 🙂 I have to work on my strength training as well. I've been good with my cardio since I got my treadmill, but finding the motivation to sit down for 30 minutes and put myself through agony (even if the goal is reducing pain long term!) just doesn't work for me. Maybe we could set up a time where we could do it together. And Skype it so we keep on track 🙂
Congratulations girl! Way to be dedicated! I'm impressed, I have a hard time staying motivated. I'm way impressed!
Left you something over at my blog 🙂
Congratulations Steph! 🙂 I wish I had that much self-control and discipline. I try to lose weight but I just can't help NOT eating. I'm such a weakling when it comes to food. 🙂
Just wanted to say congrats! Well deserved, lady!
Be glad you don't like Diet Pop (it's pop for me not soda!) because I've heard it's worse than regular pop.
Good luck with the 5K – I'm doing 1 too in April and I'm nowhere near ready for it. Crap!
Can we get together and eat cookie dough!?!! I ABSOLUTELY love it! My girlfriends and I used to make it all the time when we were younger and would sit inside my closet that had JTT posters all over. Oh those pathetic fun summer days!