Seven Years As A WW Member

December 15, 2012 I had my last WI of 2012 at WW and my weight recorded was 176.  I also noted that this was one whole year without having to pay.  You see, at the end of in 2011 I had struggled for four months where I paid each week to attend my meetings.  At that time I was only above goal about 2 pounds.

My first two WIs of 2013 were over my WW goal.  It was sort of disappointing after I had gone all of 2012 without having to pay for a single meeting. 

January 5^th – 179.6

January 12^th – 178.6

And finally on January 19^th, I weighed at 176.6!!  I no longer had to pay to attend my meetings.  It was sure a good learning experience though and each year of my maintenance I continue to learn something new about myself.  I did pretty well in 2013 keeping my weight in my goal range (173-177) although I did have to pay a few times.  Since October though, I have not been able to bring my weight back into goal range.  I have been paying for the meetings I attend but I haven’t felt 100% gung-ho about attending meetings since I have been on graveyard shift at work.

I have blogged before about being in “meeting limbo” when I can’t be with my usual Tuesday morning WW leader and group.  In the last few months of 2013 I haven’t felt as though I needed my WW meeting as much as in the past.  Mentally I was in a good place.  Even though I wasn’t always at my weekly meeting I wasn’t giving myself permission to overeating thinking, “I’ll just take it off before next week.”  I am pretty sure my days of “I’ll just take if off” are long gone!

My last weight on record for 2013 was December 15^th, I weighed in at 181.4, which was actually a LOSS!  I was 5.4 pounds heavier at the end of 2013 then at the end of 2012.

And that is okay (see mentally in a better place above).

Oh, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I am over goal for my first WI on 2014.  I bet you saw that one coming right?  So did I.

And it is okay.

At my Thursday evening meeting I was exactly the same weight at my first WI on 2013.  I had gotten on the scale at home after Christmas and my weight was up as high at 185 (not true gain) so I am happy to see 182.8.  I am ONLY 3.2 pounds heavier then my first WI on January of 2013.  Not too shabby.

If I have learned anything since I joined WW seven years ago and since I made goal almost five years ago, it is that learning to accept YOU, at whatever size or number, is what is most important.

Year five of maintenance for me is going to be another year of acceptance.  I don’t want to see the scale continue to go up and I do have the desire to bring it back down.  I am going to work on healthy eating and activity.  I am very happy to be back with my Tuesday morning WW leader and group again.  I am very happy for the support I continue to receive through the WW message boards and through all my WW Buddies.

I have lived the past seven years as any great WW member should.  I will continue to use the tools I have been given to continue on this journey.  It has never been without hills and valleys and it will continue to be just that.