Rough Few Weeks

I had a rough two weeks.

I tried to stay positive.  Most days it really isn’t even that tough.  I am just a generally positive person.

Normally my day-to-day maintenance program runs pretty smoothly.  By now I have been doing this long enough that I have built new habits in place.  Getting in my activity isn’t a struggle nor is packing my food for work.  However, these last two weeks have just felt tough.  I think the good majority of how I was feeling was because we were getting ready to change shifts at work.  I was rotating from graveyard to day shift and I was just ready for that change.

It felt as if suddenly I just didn’t have the energy to exercise.  I was tired a lot.  My meals seemed to bore me and I was really getting tired of veggies.  My tracking wasn’t as accurate it had been and I even went three days without even writing anything down.  I had blogged about my inner toddler wanting out and boy was it on the warpath!  I just couldn’t seem to shake the funk I was in and I just seemed to care less and less as the weeks went on.  I knew what I was doing.  I could see myself making these poor food decisions and yet not doing anything to stop myself.

You see, even after you get to your WW goal, you will struggle.  Even after you work your maintenance plan for a while, you will struggle.  Some days are easy and laid back.  Others can feel tough.  What matters is how you push past it all and continue to focus (or re-focus as is the theme for me this week) on what matters most!



I knew that getting back to my Tuesday meeting and my favorite leader Donna would re-energize me.  I was telling myself to just hang on until Tuesday.  As I pulled into the parking lot of my meeting location tears came to my eyes.  I felt like I was home again.  My connection to my WW meetings, my WW leaders, and my WW members is priceless.  My meetings are what kept me focused during my weight loss journey and what continues to keep me focused through my maintenance journey.  The people I have met are so supportive.  Even those I have not met (yet, I hope) on the WW message boards are so supportive.  When nobody understands what I am struggling with, my WW friends do.  When nobody understands why the scale still causes me panic, my WW friends do.  I need my meeting each week and as suspected I feel re-focused this week already.

Life isn’t all sunshine and roses now that I have made it to my goal weight and have worked every day to stay there for the last four years.  I chose to see the positive, work to gain new perspective, and above all never give up.  I believe in the power of positive thinking.  Sure, it slipped away from me for a few weeks and it is only a matter of time until it happens again.  I have been tested several times.  I even gained a little bit of weight in the process.  I am happy to be back on track with new focus and drive and I plan to ride this train as far as it will take me.

Tracking and Re-focus

Tracking was the meeting topic this week.

Since I use the 12-week tracker, I usually am thinking ahead to goals/focus for the upcoming week. I had already filled it in prior to our meeting so I shared with my meeting members:

 

1) Time to Re-focus. Stay positive and stay on top of tracking. Since my tracking was VERY loose the last two weeks I am making this top priority!

2) Clean up my eating, reduce sugar, and focus on Power Foods. This goes well with my tracking goal. We are celebrating my brother's birthday on Friday so I will enjoy cake then. Otherwise, keep sugar to a minimum this week.

3) Stop going to Dutch Brothers for coffee daily. I am spending too much money. This has become a daily habit AGAIN. While I am not sure I won't have any this week, I need to stop going daily.

I teared up when I pulled into the parking lot of my meeting yesterday. I can't stress enough how important meetings, and my current leader Donna, are to me. It felt so good to be back to my Tuesday morning meeting. I really love my members and I love my leader!

I know I would not have been as successful in my weight loss and maintenance journeys if I had not felt the connection that I do with my meetings.  I just NEED to get to meeting if I have been away for work or other commitments.  I don’t make it a point to miss any meetings but things occasionally come up and it happens.  Two weeks in a row is all I can take before I have to find a way to get to a meeting, even if it isn’t my usual leader or group.

I am lucky to have many meetings available in my area.  I really do feel for those that have to drive several hours or only have one meeting and they don’t care for the leader.  This weight loss was a whole life change for me and is a constant reminder on why I will work through the struggles to keep the weight off.

Strawberry (or any other kind) Jello

I am going to share with you my very favorite summertime potluck party food that I take to almost all events!  The best part of this jello is the WHOLE BOWL is just 3 PPVs!

This recipe is super easy and only takes four ingredients:

 

• One SMALL box of sugar-free fat-free cook and serve vanilla pudding (not instant)

• One LARGE box of sugar-free fat-free any flavored jello

• Four cups water (in the photo is just 2 cups)

• Strawberries, or any other kind of canned or fresh fruit (frozen didn’t work)

**I have only made this jello with sugar-free fat-free pudding and jello.  I am not sure if it would work with the full sugar variety.  If you chose to make it with the full sugar variety, just count the PPVs accordingly.**

Do not follow the recipe on the jello or pudding boxes.  Follow the instructions

Pour four cups of water into a sauce pan and whisk in the pudding.  The pudding must be the cook and serve variety, not instant.  Heat over medium to high heat until “warm and bubbly" stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.

The warm and bubbly part is hard.  I don’t have a really good way to explain when you know it is cooked enough.  It will turn a little transulant.  I have never had the jello taste any different if it isn’t cooked as long.  The only difference is that the pudding sort of settles below the jello when it all cools in the fridge.

Once your pudding is warm and bubbly, whisk in the jello and stir until dissolved.

Pour the jello/pudding mix into a bowl.  I let it sit on my counter and cool for a little bit before I add in my fruit.  This helps to avoid the fruit floating to the top.

Place in the fridge uncovered overnight so it can set up.

The PPVs would be determined by the NI for the mix alone.  Your box of jello is 1 PPV and your box of pudding is 2 PPVs.  Since the water and strawberry are 0 PPVs, this makes the whole bowl just 3 PPVs.

You can try any flavor of jello and any flavor of fruit.  I have not had any luck with frozen fruit setting up properly.  I would stick to canned or fresh fruit.

Enjoy!