5/4/17

Sharing Blog Posts From My Weight Loss Journey: I’m Turning 30 On Sunday


I’m sharing old blog post from my weight loss journey when I blogged on another site:

October 21, 2009

I’m Turning 30 On Sunday

My 30th Birthday is fast approaching and I am nothing but excited for it. I have a whole new life to enjoy “in my next 30 years” thanks to Weight Watchers.  

I set a goal last year that I wanted to be at goal by my 30th Birthday. I am at/under my doctor's goal and have been for 7 months now. I am not yet at WWs goal. I'm not sure if I want to be 155 pounds and if I want to work for WW. I thought that is what I wanted but now I'm not so sure. The weight loss is very slow now that I do still have time to decide. As of now I am at my all time low of 165 pounds and I have lost 139.8 (yes I missed that 140 pound star by .2 lbs). 

I love WW. It is a fantastic program and it helped me to understand how to build healthy eating habits and how to find control over food. I feel WW is a great program when it comes to weight loss but it is lacking in the tools needed to sustain that loss forever. There really isn't much guidance once a WW member hits maintenance. Often, in my many chats on the WW boards, I read posts several times a day of how people are scared to gain the weight back, how they just cannot seem to stop losing weight, and how they just aren't sure they can eat anymore food.

This is why WW needs more information once members hit maintenance. Since we are 'free' once we gain our Lifetime status, WW doesn’t make any money off us anymore. But aren't we just as important as all the other WW members?? I know I sure could use support and guidance along my new journey I call maintenance. After all, I have to learn now how to KEEP this weight off forever. 

I have switched to calorie counting. I had a hard time with points in that points still equal calories. Just because something has extra fiber in it does not mean it has less calories. Often WW members will hunt for the lowest possible points value foods and eat and eat and eat and before you know it, they have gained an excess of calories and can’t figure out why the scale won't move. A 100 calorie food, whether one point or two based on fiber, is still 100 calories. So I am finding that calorie counting and I work well together. I still weigh, measure, and track my entire food intake. I will never stop doing that. It is what keeps me on track. 

I have also started to learn how to understand food and nutrition and how food fuels the body. This is also very important for making this maintenance journey a success. Not every day needs to be low point/low calorie/low fat. That is when you are in losing mode. But at maintenance you can eat more, enjoy treats again, and really find the balance between high calorie and low calorie food so you are giving your body all it needs. It takes time, but I’m figuring it out. 

Reflecting back on my last 30 years is like a trip down memory lane. Where I have been, how far I have come, and the great things that have come out of the journey I've already taken (my amazing husband, Kenyon, is just one example). Life really is like a box of chocolates and you really don't know what you will get. So keep enjoying it, keep moving forward, and cheers to another 30 years ahead!!

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