I skipped my update last week. Mainly because I was going to repeat all I said the week before and also because I gained again and just didn’t feel like posting about it. This week, I was determined to have a great one. Mainly, I was determined to track my food every single day. No excuses. The biggest cornerstone of Weight Watchers is tracking. When you don’t track, you lose sight of what you’re eating and how much. At least I do. I don’t feel in control.
This week, my only goal was to track. It didn’t matter if I went over my points every day (which I did, all but one day). It didn’t matter if I used up all my weekly extra and activity points. It didn’t matter if it was burdensome and annoying. Not tracking was inexcusable. I won’t succeed if I don’t track.
I tracked every day and it really kept me in line. It’s so much harder to cheat when you know you have to write it down! I had one of my best weeks thus far. Not because I ate super healthy — but because I tracked and felt in control and this whole experience felt easier. I’m realizing I don’t need to change every facet of my life right now. I need to make small changes. I think I’m stuck in 2007 when I lost almost all my weight and want to be there right now. But 2007 was 5 years ago. I am not that girl anymore. I need to take this journey slowly and build on my goals to be where I need to be to live a long healthy life.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes me. I’m not on a schedule or a 3-month plan to lose x amount of weight. I’m on a lifelong journey. And in life, I’m going to have good weeks and bad weeks. Pitfalls and plateaus. I have to stop comparing my journey to that of others.
And with that! Onto the questions for the week.
Weigh-In: Down 3.8 lbs this week, for a total of 5.6 lbs. Considering two of the four weeks I’ve been on the program I’ve gained, I’m pretty happy with this result! This was a good week for me and as long as I keep tracking and making better choices, I know I’ll succeed. I just have to remind myself I don’t have to get everything right all the time.
Exercise Completed:
Friday: 30 Day Shred – Level 2 (25 minutes)
Saturday: Stationary bike (30 minutes), elliptical (15 minutes)
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Ease Into 5K – Week 1, Day 1 (25 minutes)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 30 Day Shred, Level 2 (25 minutes)
All in all, a pretty good week of exercise! I’m aiming to get 4-5 days in a week so I accomplished that goal this week. My new plans for exercise include 2 days of running (and I use that term very, very loosely), 2 days of strength training (mainly using the 30 Day Shred), and 1 or 2 days at the gym. It offers me enough variety so I’m not bored because I tend to get bored with exercise very easily!
Splurge/Guilty Pleasure: My biggest splurge this week was on Monday night when I had some cookie dough & two very delicious chocolate chip cookies after a very rough night. It was emotional eating at its finest but honestly? I truly don’t care. Sometimes, you just have to eat something comforting after a boy is mean to you. Am I right? (Also included in my splurges were Chipotle on Friday, French toast during Sunday brunch, and a huge sub on Sunday night. Wheeee!)
Successes: I tracked every day this week! My only goal was to track, no matter if I went completely over my weekly allotted extra points. (Which I did, but not by that much.) The thing about tracking is that it is, for me, the best way to help me feel in control. I feel so much better about myself and my eating when I am tracking and it keeps me in line. I’m much less apt to “cheat” if I know it has to be documented. I wasn’t worried about eating the perfect number of fruits and veggies every day or drinking 80 oz of water each day… I just wanted to get back in the habit of tracking. And this week, I crushed my goal. It feels awesome.
Other successes: getting a water cup at Chipotle instead of a soda (major win!), drinking water every day at work, and getting into a habit of foam rolling and stretching every night (it is SO painful to foam roll my quads that I know they are super tight and stiff. I literally moan the entire time and it sounds like I’m dying. Sexy, I know).
Recipe: None this week. I ate out all weekend (but ate all good things!) and then we made easy dinner meals. Lunch was Skinnytaste’s Mayo-Free Tuna Salad, which I’ve mentioned before. Still yummy, but totally not filling enough. I need to figure out a better option for lunch.
Weekly Goal: Instead of a weekly picture (in which I have to sort through the millions of “thinspiration” on Pinterest. So fun.), I want to set a weekly goal for myself. One goal towards my health. All my energy goes toward that one goal and this week, it remains my goal of tracking. Every. Single. Thing. I eat. Everything. For me, as time-consuming and annoying as it can be, it’s really the best thing that works for helping me stay in control. And I know I lose weight when I do track.
Great job! Way to opt for water instead of a soda. I’ve also been tracking lately because I’ve felt somewhat out of control with my eating. It’s helped a lot and just made me more aware. I love that you’re focusing on small changes, they really do add up!
The awareness is what is SO beneficial. I’m not even worried about staying within my range, just to get into the habit of writing down what I’m eating and getting back to understanding portions and the like.
You’re totally right about how the weight loss journey is different from time to time. I lost close to 70 pounds in less than a year a few years back and NONE of the old tricks are working this time. It can be really discouraging, but you’re right. I’m not trying to drop a certain amount by a certain time. It is a lifelong journey I’m embarking on. Thanks for the reminder!
And good luck with C25K! I got pretty far into it, week 6! Then work got busy and I slacked for a couple of months. Now it feels like my body is revolting and I can hardly do week 3 without going slower than a mall walker.
Congrats on losing 70 lbs, though! Now you know you CAN do it, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we’re different people now so the same tricks might not always work. But we just have to keep trying! Giving up isn’t even an option. 🙂
This is my 6th or 7th go-around with C25K. I made it all the way to the 20-minute run one time! But it’s so hard when you stop running. SO hard to get back in the habit.
Congratulations on your weight loss and also keeping track of all your food! I didn’t do an update last week either. I don’t feel like I have any astronomical progress to report on these things but at least I’m “doing” something (getting up and moving I guess). All of this is baby steps so hang in there!
Good job! I think that tracking is important. Even if you go over, you have control over it. I think that is important, because sometimes you feel so out of control and that can lead to a downward spiral!
Way to go! I am glad you saw a loss on the scale this week! I think it is definitely something to view as a journey and not a sprint… and to not put too much stress on yourself to lose x pounds in x months, etc! You are doing great. Just keep on keeping on!
Woo hoo! Way to go on the loss!
I totally agree with you on tracking, it makes such a difference!
I like your idea of a weekly goal. Good luck with it and have a great week :o)
Nice job, Stephanie! Keep up the good work! 😀
Happy to hear that you’re back on track- or atleast on your way to getting there! Tracking is important to keep yourself in line with what you eat, so if that’s what works for you then great! Good luck for this week 🙂
Catching up on old posts from when I was on vacation — you can do it! Keep at it and don’t give up! xoxo