Back in the saddle again . . .

Well, after eating way too much over the holiday season and struggling to fit into my pants - I'm back it again with more willpower than ever before. :-)

I got a new Wii game that uses the Wii Balance Board that I will be using and reviewing on here. I've also found some cool new food finds, and I'll be talking about the new Weight Watchers Momentum plan.

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you and working toward our common goal of overall wellness!

I need your thoughts . . .

I've been hearing more chatter lately about meal size and meal times. For example - I've heard it is better to eat a larger breakfast, a middle sized lunch, and a smaller dinner. (Of course, most people I know do exactly the opposite.)

I decided to look around this morning for some articles about meal sizes and times. I found some pretty interesting things.

First - this review of a diet book about 'eating dinner for breakfast'. This sounds pretty interesting. Have any of you read this book? It follows the large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner principle.

This article is good as it shows what 300-400 calorie meals look like. Which is very helpful for people who are trying to be smart about their choices and it wakes them up to how many calories they have actually been eating per day. (Weight Watchers did that for me in a big way. When I calculated the number of POINTS I'd been eating per day, it was WAY more than I should have been eating. It makes it easier for me to make better choices now. Something that is a lot of points is really not worth it!)

Here are some random cool tools from CalorieKing.

And here is a great article about habits that prevent weight loss. Some really great tips here.

And then finally - this article about how to force your body to melt fat like butter. I've heard this before as well - that eating the same things at the same time every day will not help you lose weight. That you have to 'switch things up' to 'keep your body guessing.'

What I want to know from all of you is . . . what do YOU think? Have you heard of any studies about meal times and sizes? How do YOU eat your meals? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have a great Saturday!

Another Milestone Reached

I weighed in this morning. I got onto the Weight Watchers website and logged my weight and was greeted with this message:

(image from www.weightwatchers.com)

Woohoo! 25 pounds. I was seriously prepared for just a maintenance week, so I was pleasantly surprised by the scales this morning!

I have been offically "on plan" for 14 weeks. So that's about 1.7 pounds lost per week. Which is just about right. :-)

Here is my cool little chart:

And since we're all about 'full disclosure' here . . . here is a list of my weight over those 14 weeks.
(images from www.weightwatchers.com)

So because I've lost 25 pounds, I suppose it is time for a picture, which Hunkahubby hastily took with my iPhone this morning before I left for work.

Here I am - 25 lbs lighter! Still a long way to go - but I'm getting there!!

This week's goal - using my Wii Fit EVERY DAY!! What are your goals for this week?

Memorial Day FOOD

For the first time since March 1st, I didn't track my food for FOUR days. I don't think I did TOO bad, but I've already prepared myself for a gain on Friday. And that's okay. I'm going to have those MOMENTS. As long as I don't let myself slip back into the land where food is #1, I will be okay.

I am back on track now and I've been exercising for 30 minutes almost every day. (I LOOOVE my Wii Fit.)

And tonight - I went to get a new pair of capris and they were NOT PLUS SIZE!!! Woohoo!!! Yay me.

I hope all of you are back on track after the holiday ritual of stuffing our faces with grilled food. Have a wonderful evening!!

Yeehah!

I'm down another 1.2 pounds, even though I ate a donut yesterday and had a piece of BROASTED chicken. On top of all of that, I'm even dealing with water weight gain (dang, I hate being a woman sometimes . . .) Of course, the difference was - I didn't give into the urge to eat SIX donuts or a WHOLE chicken.

I did, however, track everything I ate, drank tons of water, and even got in some exercise this week, so it must have paid off.

I was so happy that the dreaded 200 did not come back to haunt me this week as I was sure it would!

So, it has been 2 months and I've lost almost 20 pounds (19.6 to be exact.) And it really has not been that difficult. I really am starting to believe that it has a LOT to do with your mindset -- if it is a 'diet' it isn't going to work. If you are convinced that you are making a lifestyle change, it really makes a huge difference!

I'm really close to my first WW goal of losing 10% of my body weight!

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go."
~Dr. Seuss

Have a great weekend!

Friday Weigh-In Upate

Today, I am a happy camper. I am now down 15.6 pounds since I started this journey. Not too bad!

(Image from my profile on http://www.weightwatchers.com/)

Here is my 15 pounds lighter picture . . . although, I still have chins . . .

About Me

I posted periodic updates on Not of this World about my journey through weight loss and becoming a healthier me. I finally decided it would be better to dedicate a separate blog just to my weight loss experience.

I have been a serial dieter for probably the last 10-12 years. I was pretty active in high school and I believe it wasn't until my twenties that I got away from that and started having issues with my weight. (Plus, when you have no money and no time, you get into the habit of eating crap from convenience stores and fast food.) I've tried South Beach, several As Seen on TV programs, joining gyms, pills, you name it, I've probably tried it.

I am also an emotional eater. I know this - and it is something I deal with every single day. Oh how I wish I could be one of those people who CAN'T EAT when they are stressed. Oh no. I could eat 2 packages of Double Stuf Oreos when I'm having a really bad day. But NO MORE!!

Thanks to my good friend Kristen, who often went through emotional eating binges with me (can we say Papa John's cheese bread anyone?), and her inspirational story - I decided I was ready for a change. I joined Weight Watchers on March 1, 2008.

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Weight Watchers. In fact, several months ago, my friend Ruth tried to convince me to join and I didn't want to. I didn't like the thought of going to a meeting and saying, "Hi, my name is IzzyBeth and I'm FAT." How was that going to help me? I would just find an excuse not to go every week and get back into the cycle of being unhealthy. BUT - thankfully, Weight Watchers now has an entirely online program that is easy to follow - and you can find support in various places on their site and other places online. So - I joined.

I'm committed to losing a total of about 100 pounds. I know it will be a long road and won't be easy - but I figured if I'm putting it all OUT THERE, I'll be more committed to following through.

So . . . here we go . . . I thought I'd start with my horrible before picture and I'll update the progress pictures as we go along.

This is me in December 2007.

I am determined to get rid of AT LEAST ONE OF my chins. :-)

Aprill 11, 2008. 15 pounds lighter.

June 6, 2008. 25 lbs lighter.

I hope that somehow in sharing my journey online, that someone will stumble across my site and be inspired to make a change in their own life.

******

So here we are in 2010, and as is the story with so many who struggle with weight loss - I've lost and gained back with reinforcements.  I'll be updating this page with new pictures as I go through my new physician monitored weight loss meal replacement program.