Monday, February 21, 2011

Hard Work Pays Off

About two weeks ago my Weight Watcher leader, Jennifer, posted on Facebook a link to fill out an application to be in the next Weight Watchers commercial. Naturally, if you know me, I filled it out right away. I've always loved being in front of the camera, ever since I was little.

I didn't think much of it. Really, I just filled it out, told my story of my successes and setbacks and when they received my online application they emailed asking for my documentation (weigh-ins). Right away I went to the library and made copies and set it right over.

This morning, as I was waiting in the Starbucks drive-thru (Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte, please!), my cell phone rang. I answered, although typically wouldn't when it's clearly an out-of-state number, and the nice lady on the other end stated she was from Weight Watchers. In my head I thought, "NO WAY!"

So, here is the deal:

This week, Weight Watchers will set up a time and place for me to go do a preliminary web conference/interview. If I "pass" this preliminary, I go on to a second interview with the Producer I believe, next week. Assuming I "pass" that interview, Weight Watchers will fly me out to L.A. March 6th-12th for filming. There is still a chance then, that I may not end up on TV but on the editing room floor. However, I will still be paid about $550 per day while I'm there filming. According to the nice lady on the phone, IF I do get aired, that's where the "boo-coo bucks" come in.

Honestly, just the experience of doing this is enough. I have worked so hard in the past year and I know I deserve this. Please keep me in your prayers and your thoughts. I hate to be so excited for this and it not go through to the end, however, I do keep in mind that I have obviously done something right to have them look so closely at me for their commercial.

It's taken a long time to get here. But it was definitely worth the hard work and time I've put in.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

First Time For Everything

For the first time since being a Weight Watcher, I used just about all of my extra weekly points. I have never done this before. If you are not a WW, I will explain...see, you get a Daily PlusPoint Value, mine is 29. And then you get 49 Extra Weekly PlusPoints so that you don't feel like you are depriving yourself. A lot of people use these Extra WPP to enjoy a dinner out with friends or a few glasses of wine or what have you. I rarely ever touch my Extra WPP and if I do it is only just a few.

This week, I've pretty much used them up. There was Valentine's Day where we had a heart-shaped pizza with a bottle of red wine. I had lunch with my Aunt and dinner with my Grandparents this week, although I do believe I did really well one both occasions. Last night, we went on a date to a new restaurant in town and for only the second time on WW, I ate a burger. I had them keep the mayo off and it had the regular good stuff like lettuce and tomato plus avocado but it also had cheese on it. Not to mention I haven't eaten a regular hamburger bun in months.

A few weeks ago at my WW meeting we talked about using your WPP and how they make you feel if you use them. I raised my hand when my leader asked if you felt like you were cheating. I always feel like I'm cheating when I'm using them because I know I don't need them to be satisfied. I get everything I want/need within my 29 DPP. I wanted to try using them though, so my burger last night was half a conscious decision and half impulse. I will say it made my stomach hurt after I ate it. I don't know if it is because I haven't eaten much red meat lately or because it's a greasy burger.

I guess I will see on the scale tomorrow how using my Extra WPP effects me. I really don't think they are for me, but I wanted to give them a fair chance. I do, however, feel like I've cheated on my regular plan and I have no doubt that tomorrow will show a gain. Because I decided to try this, I'm okay with a gain.

On a lighter note - I bought new pants today. Size 5 and they are slightly loose. I can't remember the last time I was in a size 5 and they were loose. It's an amazing feeling. Since I'm almost done with losing my weight, I'm hoping I'll be in a 3 or 4 in the end. I also had my chest resized. I've lost two cup sizes since starting, going from a DD to a C cup. Definitely more manageable now and I can wear tank tops without pouring out of them or showing much cleavage. It's fantastic! I'm just about ready for bathing suit shopping which is something I do every year but I'm especially excited for this year.

If you have tomorrow off of work for Presidents' Day (I DO!) enjoy your time off. I plan on getting in some activity points, that's for sure!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day

A lot of people I've talked to in the days leading up to Valentine's Day, who are always watching their waistline, refer to Valentine's Day as the Valentine's Day Massacre...of their waistline. First off, it's only one day...have a few chocolates! Why not!? Luckily, I don't really enjoy chocolate much and my husband knows not to buy me candy. I'm just not a sweets eater. 
But don't get me wrong, I'm definitely splurging a little tonight. It just so happens that Valentine's Day also falls on my weight-in day, so we typically don't eat dinner until after I get back from my meeting which is around 7:45pm. If you know us, you know that is really late for dinner. We typically eat dinner between 5-5:30pm. During the day, it's become my habit that I don't eat as much as I would, call it scale superstition.  So Monday nights we get to eat a little larger meal than we would any other day. Since it's Valentine's Day and 7:45pm is much too late to go out for dinner (considering I'm in bed by 9pm), we have decided to get a Take N' Bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. They are having a Valentine's Day special on heart shaped pepperoni pizzas. We will also enjoy a bottle of wine. Do I expect to go over my daily points? Absolutely. I'm entirely okay with that too. I may just bump up my activity this week to make up for some of my points. 
So don't deprive yourself of the chocolate or whatever it is you look forward to on Valentine's Day. Treat yourself! One day of a little indulgence is not going to make you a failure. 

Monday, February 7, 2011

525,960 Minutes



31,556,926 Seconds

365 Days

This is how long, as of today, I've been a Weight Watcher! Yes, today is my one year anniversary. 

A lot has happened in the past year since joining Weight Watchers, besides losing weight. I've changed a lot about myself; habits and such. I have new friends, I've rid myself of friends who really weren't friends at all, and most importantly, I've reconnected with an old friend, very special and dear to my heart. I've started my senior year in college. I've built a new resume. I've helped others begin their weight loss journey. 

That's a lot of stuff in just one year. 

I think back to one year ago today when I joined. I remember going all by myself to the meeting location. Super nervous but excited because I wanted to make new friends who were on the same journey as I. I remember walking in to the meeting and first being introduced to who was to be my spunky, excited leader! Gosh, I remember how difficult it was the first week. I expressed at my first meeting how I've heard it's easy to track points but felt overwhelmed and thought it would be difficult. That first week, tracking wasn't the difficult part...eating less was the difficult part! I tracked like no one has ever tracked before and luckily I started a great habit...write it before I bite it! I remember how hungry I was but stuck to it no matter what. It didn't take long to realize that although I ate healthy, I ate far more than one person needs to function. 
I remember how supportive Kristian was (is) and how he tried every new recipe I made and encouraged me daily. Ugh, I also remember how that first weekend was the annual Mardi Gras party at a family friends' house and how nervous I was to be around alcohol and crab cakes! 

Then I remember my first weigh-in. I gained. GAINED! I couldn't hardly believe it. How discouraging, after 7 full days of eating so much less than I was use to, probably cutting my calories in half but to a health amount. I gained! My peers among me assured me that it happens. That my body was not use to getting so fewer calories and that I was holding on to those calories instead of using them for energy because my body thought it would not receive any more. Luckily I listened because my second week I lost 5.8 lbs. Talk about motivation!

Week 11 started an amazing trend. By then I had already lost 20.4 lbs but for the next 10 weeks, I continuously lost, averaging a pound each week to by down 30.6 lbs until week 21 when I gained .2 lb. That's hard. Doing so well and being on this amazing upwards trend...then you ruin it. It takes a toll on your heart. From there on it was up and down...lose for two or three weeks in a row, gain one week, lose it plus some the next week. 

 I've lost 10 of these. 
Then week 41 rolls around. Introduction to the new Points Plus program. I had just lost 43.2 lbs on Momentum and now they go and switch it up on me!? However, I was very excited for the new change, unlike a lot of others I spoke too. I knew that a change would be good, kind of a jump start for all our bodies.  I jumped right into the new program. It was a tough switch, more daily points was great but all the foods I had learned to love were also higher points. I had to start substituting certain things, like bread for instance. I use to buy whole wheat bread but now I buy 7 Grain Deli Flats and use those in lieu of bread in every situation. I was right though, it was a jump start. I had lost 2.2 lbs that first week and at week 42, anything over a pound is something to celebrate! Thankfully, Points Plus took my to my 50 lb loss and I love the new program. 

I look forward to the next year. I know there were be more victories, but also more setbacks. I look forward to hitting my goal weight this year. I look forward bathing suit shopping for the summer and having the confidence to wear it, not to mention all the other cute summer trends! I look forward to graduating and starting a career in the fall as a special education teacher. And the whole reason I wanted to lose weight was to be healthy when we decided it's time to start a family...so who knows if that will be in the next year or not, but physically I will be ready to start our family this year. 

Saturday, February 5, 2011

"Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!"


Geez, Jillian. That's a little dose of tough love isn't it? I can't say I've ever puked, fainted OR died while working out, so I suppose I must keep going until one of those three things happen. Preferably puke, the other two seem pretty intense.
Working out is not my forte, to say the least. I pretty much loathe working out. When I was an athlete I was all about working out daily, but I had something to charge up for. Whether a basketball game, tennis or track meet, there was an ultimate goal, to be faster or stronger than my opponent. Now I find it is just me against myself. That makes it much more difficult for me to find the motivation to work out. 

Also, what is the "high" that people find after they work out. I hear so often how great people feel after a run or an intense strength training. Really? I honestly can say after I work out I feel like utter crap. I don't want to move. What I really want after a work out is a N.A.P.! 

However, I digress. 

I realize that I need to work out or get in some activity, daily, to keep losing weight and eventually maintain. It's much easier in the summer. I love rollerblading, but with 24 inches of snow on the ground currently and negative temperature, rollerblading is put on hold. So, for my work out, I have found that I really enjoy Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. I prefer to workout at home over a gym. I like being able to just roll out of bed and turn on the TV and workout. If you haven't tried the 30 Day Shred, it's a 20 minute, high-intensity workout with Jillian. It has three different levels, each increasingly more difficult. It is broken down into three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs, three times. There is no time for a water break. It's just go go go. I feel like I get a better workout from this DVD than I did in an hour at the gym. 

Throughout the month of November I made a goal for myself to complete the 30 Day Shred, which I did. But up until yesterday, I hadn't worked out since November 30th. Yesterday I popped in the DVD and jumped right to level three and was glad to find that I could still do it. I don't know that I will do it every single day, maybe I'll set another month goal like I did in November but I feel if I workout every single day now to get to my goal weight and then I stop working out so intensely it will be more difficult to maintain. Just like if I change my eating habits after I hit my goal, I'll inevitably put weight back on. I definitely work out more than I use to, but I am just not a daily workout person. 

I do, however, get in activity other ways.  When I'm cooking dinner and I'm in the kitchen, if I'm waiting for something to finish up cooking I'll do some squats in the kitchen or jumping jacks. It sounds silly but it gets my heart rate up at least. I also will do push ups against the counter. I rarely sit during the day, I'm always up and walking around the classroom. That is also a big difference from when I was taking classes and sat in a classroom all day. I'm sure all these little changes help in a small way. 

Here are some workout tips I have learned:
- You can't just work the small muscles alone. They are too small to burn any amount of calories on their own. So when lifting dumbbells, do some lunges with them too. The large muscles in your legs will help the smaller muscles in your arms burn more calories. 
- Within 15 minutes after your workout, eat/drink protein. It will restore the damage to your muscles. I usually will drink an 8 oz. glass of fat free milk. 
- Cardio alone is not as effective as weight training with cardio. When you weight train you burn more calories throughout the day when you are idle, than if you only do cardio. On the same hand, sit-up will not result in defined abs, cardio will. 
- Use more of your own resistance rather than using machines. When you use a machine it "helps" you along. When you use only yourself, you are doing all of the work. Try using dumbbells for arm strength instead of the upper body machines. 
- Don't stick to the same routine for too long or your body will adapt to the stress level and you won't get as an effective workout. 
- Do something you enjoy. You will likely continue to workout if it's something you throughly enjoy doing. 

I am in no way an exercise expert. These are just things that I find help me through workouts. Finally, don't use the excuse that you don't have the TIME to workout. No one has TIME to workout. They make the TIME to do it.