I was not blessed with good genes that gave me the ability to eat what I wanted and not gain weight. I have played sports my entire life. I was the stereotypical “tomboy”. I was the only girl on my little league and soccer teams. Though as a child, I was a chunk. In high school I played volleyball and softball. Training was year round and I finally slimmed down. Then in the summer before my senior year, I started drinking beer. I also love food and lacked the will power to say no. For that reason, I do horrible at dieting. I can only eliminate certain foods for a short amount of time before I start binge eating everything insight! In an effort to get on track with a healthy lifestyle I added #27 to my bucket list...Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight.
1. Start a blog
2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC
5. Eating a raw oyster
6. Ride a mechanical bull
7. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner by myself
8. Shoot a gun/target shooting
9. Go Mushroom hunting
10. Learn to sew / make something I can wear
12. Ride in a hot air balloon
13. Learn to play craps
14. Eat at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ
17. Learn to make a pie from scratch
18. Make Grandma's kolache cookies correctly
19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels
20. Take a cake decorating class and then decorate my own cake
21. Do at least one pull-up
22. Visit Graceland
23. Take a train ride/ weekend trip to Herman, Mo.
25. Run a 8 min/mile 5K
26. Take ballet class from the KC Ballet
27. Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight
28. Travel to Europe
29.
Eat authentic Chicago deep dish pizza (NEW)
30.
In order to lose weight before my wedding I tried the Kim Kardashian Quick Trim 2-week diet. I was eating 800 calories a day while taking water pills and other “detox” stuff. I dropped almost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I gained it all back on my honeymoon. Yo-yo dieting is extremely depressing. You drop all the weight you want to lose and then in a matter of days it is all back!
I have been a member of the website SparkPeople.com on and off for a few years. It is a free site for tracking foods by calorie counting. The website is a great resource that provides fitness tips, recipes and a community board to talk with people trying to lose weight. I had success using this site and lost about 8-10 pounds. I could never fully commit the site and would track for a few months and then go a few without. I would lose a bit and then gain it back. It was a frustrating cycle I could not break away from. I tried to convince myself that I was doing enough exercise to compensate for the amount of food I was eating. I started to believe I was programmed to never weigh less than 150lbs.
In preparation for her upcoming wedding, my best friend, Hayley, joined Weight Watchers in April of 2012. I began to notice how great she looked (though she looked great prior). She was losing weight and did not have to make crazy sacrifices to get there. Hayley raved about WW and how easy it was to use. One initial hold up was the cost. My current weight loss tool was free but I couldn’t push past my plateau. Finally in July of 2012 I joined. When I started I weighed in at 147.6 lbs. and set my goal weight to 130 lbs.
Weight Watchers in a nutshell: Based on your current weight, sex, age and amount you want to lose, you are given an allowable amount of points per day. 49 “extra” weekly points are also given but are optional. Activity points can be earned through exercise and can be used if daily points and weekly points are consumed. Weight loss is tracked once a week.
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| July 2012-This picture was taken just one week before I joined Weight Watchers |
Weight Watchers is a process and it takes time to learn. Food and activity is tracked by points and not by calories. Point values are determined by fat, carbs, fiber and protein. I quickly learned that some foods I ate all of the time because they were low in calories or low in carbs where high in points. #1 example: Cheese. I love cheese so much but unfortunately it is high in fat and therefore high in points. The first month of tracking was difficult. I only had 26 points to eat a day. It seemed like everyday I was going over my allowable points. Once I figured out the points values I was able to fit in the right food and stay on track. With every new diet change, the first couple weeks I noticed a jump in weight loss. In fact, the first week I lost almost 4 pounds! It really goes to show how bad I was eating when a drastic change caused me to drop that much. As time went on my loss was less noticeable, 1 lb. one week and then next a half pound. Of course I had set backs! Every time I went on vacation I lost my mind and ate everything in sight. What is rewarding about this program is that WW is forcing you to make lifestyle changes. I could easiest get back on track if I had a an off week. The website and mobile app gave me plenty of support. In fact, I found myself addicted to tracking food, which may or may not be healthy. Activities and workouts can count as "negative" points. Once you run out of weekly points you can start deducting from your activity points. For example: This morning I ran 4.6 miles and earned 7 points. That can later be counted towards a splurge either that day or later in the week. Or you can rack up activity points to help speed up your weight loss. And it works. When I stayed to the points I did ose weight. If I went over on points but earned extra activity points, I still lost weight. When I went on vacation and did not track or work out, I gain a little back. It has all been very manageable. The
As I hit a major plateau in January I re-evaluated my weight loss goal. After some thought, I decided to change my goal weight from 130 lb. to 135 lb. I needed a new focus. I was losing sight of the reason for the weight loss and was distracted by the number. Within a month I had reached my goal weight. Meeting that goal felt amazing. I had come a long way and was happy with my success. It has now been a couple months since I reached my goal. I have gained a few and lost a few. WW says you should stay +/- 2 points of your goal. When I go above that, I know I need to evaluate my eating habits. Most of the time it is from a vacation or a busy work week.
Meeting your goal weight is only the first challenge. Maintaining is much harder. I am determined to keep the weight off. Not only because of how great I look : ) but because I am now in the best shape of my life. I have found new ways to challenge my physical fitness in order to stay in shape. As challenging as running appears, it doesn’t do much for me to keep the weight off. As part of our WW weight loss plan, Hayley & I started working with a personal trainer (Coach Corbett/C90X) in September. We have been documenting our progress in a notebook since the beginning. It is amazing to see how much we have improved. While the weight amount we lift may seem low, we continue to increase and I can feel myself getting stronger. Anytime Fitness became our new home. Weight training definitely takes dedication. We quickly learned how annoying & rude men are at the gym.
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| Hayley & I rocking the same workout tee early in the morning at Anytime Fitness |
In March, Justin & I started working out at Title Boxing Club. In the month we have been boxing, I can feel myself getting even stronger. It is a remarkable release to punch something, especially after a tough day at work. Plus one hour of boxing equals 9 points!
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| Ready to fight at Title Boxing Club in St. Joseph |
Some pros and cons to weight loss:
Cons #1- none of my clothes fit. It is expensive to replace all of your clothes. Some of my favorites outfits no longer fit : ( #2 - I cannot hold alcohol. Part of dieting is reducing alcohol intake, plus I weigh less. I drink 2 beers and feel buzzed. So there are only two cons and they really aren't cons at all. I am a cheap date which my husband may actually find as a pro!
It was important for me to include my weight loss success on my bucket list. Some people in my life have been skeptical and concerned with how much weight I have lost. I realize that where I started may not have been viewed as an unhealthy weight. While the number may not be considered overweight, the food I ate to maintain that weight was not healthy And for one specific skeptic (you shall remain anonymous), I want to be the healthiest I can if my future includes rearing offspring...
I would have never thought I could run 13.1 miles without stopping or hold a plank for longer than one minute. Everyone has the ability to make the changes to get in the shape they desire. Making the initial change is the toughest part. Once you gain the confidence and get over the muscle soreness, you can make it happen! Weight Watchers was definitely the right choice to get me to my goal. I highly recommend anyone interested in trying to lose weight to give it a try.
It was important for me to include my weight loss success on my bucket list. Some people in my life have been skeptical and concerned with how much weight I have lost. I realize that where I started may not have been viewed as an unhealthy weight. While the number may not be considered overweight, the food I ate to maintain that weight was not healthy And for one specific skeptic (you shall remain anonymous), I want to be the healthiest I can if my future includes rearing offspring...
I would have never thought I could run 13.1 miles without stopping or hold a plank for longer than one minute. Everyone has the ability to make the changes to get in the shape they desire. Making the initial change is the toughest part. Once you gain the confidence and get over the muscle soreness, you can make it happen! Weight Watchers was definitely the right choice to get me to my goal. I highly recommend anyone interested in trying to lose weight to give it a try.
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| Before Picture at Table Rock Lake July 2012 |
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| After picture right before the swimsuit competition at Mrs. Missouri USA pageant March 2013 |
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