Motivation

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So much of the weight loss journey is motivating oneself to actually commit to it. I can easily say, “Man, I wanna lose 40 lbs.” But saying it and not doing anything about it, won’t make it happen. So throughout my journey I have kept goals in sight: first 5 lbs then 10 lbs then 15 lbs, etc. But goals can only get you so far. A person needs something to push them to get up at 5:30 in the morning and go to the gym or to say no to the McDonald’s when it is right across the street. For me, I have been lucky enough to have a ton of people and avenues to motivate me.

Family and Friends

It all starts with the people around you. If you don’t have a good support system, there is no way you can succeed. Thankfully my wife is one of my biggest supporters. She makes sure to check in on me, making sure I get my activity time in each day. She will nudge me in the morning and say, oh so gently, “Get up and go to the gym!” :) I mean, I need it. There are definite times I would much rather hit the snooze button, but I know that once she does that, I gotta get up and get moving.

We have also changed our date nights. It used to involve going to a movie, going out to dinner or going to a bar. Now we take the dogs on a walk or walk somewhere to have a glass of wine outside. It is great being in this together.

Online

I have found an ENORMOUS group of motivators in the twitterverse. I never knew I could have so many people - many I don’t know in person – pulling for me to succeed.

There are two people in particular that I would like to highlight here:

1) Healthy Loser Gal Jan is AMAZING. Not much more can be said. She is an inspiration to everyone, and it doesn’t hurt that she is a Boston lady as well ;) But every month she posts a new challenge on her blog.

For May, she had #hlgMayDay and she pushed you to work out at least 24 times in the 31 days of May. Let me tell you, there were many mornings that this got me out of bed and in to the gym. I thrived on the challenge and wanted to succeed. Once I commit to something, I hate failing.

This particular challenge came at a perfect time for me as the doctor had finally approved me to go back to working out so it was the EXTRA motivation I needed.

For June, she is hosting #hlgJuneJAZZ. She is having you Journal (your food), Activity (at least 24 days of the month) and Zzzzz (get your sleep, at least 6-7 hours a night). So far, I am 2 for 2 and loving it. I told her yesterday that I started my blog at the perfect time for this one. ;)

2) #7daychip Brad Gansberg started a great program called #7daychip. In a nutshell, you set a goal for yourself and you need to complete it for 7-consecutive days. So for me, I wanted to hit my Weight Watchers Points dead on (no weekly/activity pts could be used) and to hit all 6 Weight Watchers healthy checks every day.

I attempted it a few weeks back and made it 6 ¾ days before I went out to eat and used weekly points (In my defense, it was our 6 month wedding anniversary and I had already planned to use weekly points on that night.) So last week when I got back from the road trip, I said I needed to do it. So I buckled down. It was HARD. There were a lot of temptations, especially at work. But I bore down and made it through the 7 days (I actually completed 8 days :)).

So for me recently, these have been my biggest motivators. It has really helped me hold myself accountable and stay active. What do you use to keep your eye on the prize?

Planning

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This is a two part blog on planning: blog topics and food. Blog

Do people plan their topics ahead of time or do you live in the moment? Since I am so new to this, I have enough ideas right now. But, once I have been doing this for awhile, what would the plan be then? I guess I am doing my own version of planning by asking about it now before reaching that point and saying “What now?”

So please fellow bloggers, pass on any comments you may have…

Food

I find personally that if I plan my day or week out in advance I have a much higher success rate than if I try to wing it. I think having the food log page on this blog is really keeping me honest. Like last night, my wife and I went out to dinner and I still wrote down everything I drank and ate. If I don’t track truthfully, I am not hurting anyone, but myself.

On Sunday nights or Monday mornings, I like to take a good look at my upcoming week and find out where the tough spots would be: nights out with friends, a work lunch I can’t escape, travel, etc. If I can pinpoint the “trouble” moments ahead of time, I can better prepare for them.

This week for example, I knew I would allow myself two nights out where I could use weekly points. Originally it was going to be Friday and Saturday, but with the nice weather yesterday and the need for some family time. I swapped. So now Friday, I will be eating on plan. But knowing that I could make the swap and be okay, put me at ease and allowed me to just be in the night out rather than worrying about the week.

I am a creature of habit. So I basically have the same thing for breakfast, lunch and snacks everyday. Why change when you have the points down to a science and you are hitting all your healthy checks. J But being this way saves me time from having to plan the rest of my day. I really just need to plan seven dinners rather than seven full days of meals. I usually find out when my wife and I will actually be eating together, plan those out with some variety: chicken one night, pasta another, sushi on a weekend, etc. This helps both of us stay on program and keep the meals fresh. Once those nights are set, I can then wrap up the “alone” meals and be done.

Of course this is life, things come up. But having something in place beforehand is great for unannounced adventures. If I decide to meet a friend for a drink after work today, I would make sure to deduct those weekly points from my night out Saturday, etc.

If I know I am going to be going out to dinner during the week, I will make sure to check out the restaurants menu online ahead of time. Nine times out of 10 they have their nutrition facts on there so you can figure out how many points their dishes are. So I will pick my meal out and then adjust my day around that. This ends the possibility of me looking at the menu, getting a craving and veering off course. Now, I go places and don’t even touch the menu.

For me, I would much rather adjust a plan I already have in place than piece a plan together during the course of the day. I always feel knowing my luck, I would get to dinner and only have three points left.

Do you plan any meals out ahead of time? Any tricks work best for you?

Mind Over Matter...

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So I was thinking this morning that I unfortunately need to get on buying a bathing suit. *dread dread dread* I haven’t done this in years. But the one I have been wearing that whole time is getting a tad roomy and I would be too embarrassed to wear it on the beaches of Hawaii in November. Talking about buying a bathing suit is okay since I always say I will do it next week … and never follow through. But this morning my friend Lindsey actually sent me websites of bathing suits, in particular tankinis, which she thinks would work on me.

Not gonna lie, I literally started feeling myself getting anxious (heart beating faster, slight shake in my hands) just looking at the website. I just kept thinking I will look like a whale. I cannot walk down the street in these. The rolls will just be on display for the world to see. I don’t want to see that – let alone anyone else.

So I asked myself, how long will it take my mind to catch up to my body? My body has shed 43.8 lbs. My body notices the difference. My peers notice the difference. When will my mind? To me, I still see the 200+ lb girl when I look in the mirror. I still see rolls upon rolls.

Will this ever go away? I want it to. I try willing it away, but alas my mind still goes to the negative place.

I will at some point have to get over this and just buy the stupid bathing suit. Linds suggested buying online so I can try it on at home rather than at a store. That will definitely help, but come November I am going to have to do it in public. I know to the outside world it will look normal, but I will probably still think I look like a blob.

I know this is something tons of women go through so this isn’t an earth shattering blog post, but as summer nears this is a bigger deal. I like wearing sun dresses, skirts, etc – but when the mind games start coming into play, I want to hide behind my t-shirts and yoga pants.

If any fellow Weight Watchers, fit bloggers or anyone has any suggestions, please pass along…

Weigh-In Tuesday

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Now I sort of wish my weigh-in day was Wednesday just for the shear alliteration of this title? Maybe Truth Tuesday? I dunno. All I know is I weighed in today for the first time in 2 weeks and was 0.6 lbs lighter. I wanted more. I had worked for more. But I am happy with a loss. I know that last week I was baaaaad on the road so at least this week of being on point canceled that out. This brings my grand total loss to <<drum roll>> 43.8 lbs! :) Can’t be mad at that. I have 9.6 lbs to go to my original goal weight and about 18.6 ‘til the one the doctor made for me when I had my back surgery. :P

I love Weight Watchers. I think everyone that knows me knows how true this is. I talk about the program and how much it has helped me alllllll the time. I just absolutely love how you can have normal food (in moderation). You aren’t feeling like a prisoner who can only choose between Breakfast A or B, etc. You can go out and live your life. I can have a glass (or two) of wine and that is A-ok! It is a program for real people, who want to make a real change in their lifestyle.

With the help of healthy checks, I have improved my eating habits 10 fold. I have waaay more fruits and veggies. I now know what healthy oils are (definitely had to look that one up)!

In addition to the support, accountability and healthy food goals, Weight Watchers can come to your work. THIS will make my summer totally different than last year. Last year, I missed almost every meeting from February to May because of work (ended up gaining back about 7-8 lbs during that time). After talking to a couple friends, I found out that if you have at least 15 people Weight Watchers will bring the meeting to you. AMAZING! With absolutely no personal drive to this at all: I asked if we could do this … and we are. It has already proved to help dividends. The meeting is now during the day and a mere 2 minute walk from my office.

Another awesome note, I have known our leader for awhile. She was one of the ladies that weighed me in at my normal Tuesday night meeting. Bonus! She also brings product to the meeting so when I need more WW Chocolate Pretzel Blast Bars, she is there for me.

Besides being a big help to me, how convenient :), it is also paying off for my coworkers. It also expands my support system and gives me more people to cheer on! J

Did anyone else weigh-in today? I wanna pass on some cyber Bravos!

Temptations...

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Temptations SUCK! Last week I was traveling and had a horrible WW week. I didn't track. Drank what I wanted. Ate what I wanted. (But I did work out every day for at least 30 minutes) but I came home feeling awful. My body missed my daily fruits and veggies. It didn't know how to process daily doses of peanut M&Ms, pita chips or pizza.

So when I got home I didn't weigh-in and decided I would take this week back! I decided I would take part in the #7daychip challenge. I decided for on week I would not touch a single weekly or activity Weight Watchers point AND I would complete all 6 healthy checks everyday (min 6 8 oz glasses of water, 2 tsp of healthy oils, 5 servings of fruits/veggies, a vitamin, 2 servings of milk/milk product and 30 min activity).

I wanted to do this for 2 reasons: 1) prove to myself I could and 2) help my body recover from the previous week. :)

Well, I can say I made it to Day 7 (today)! But it hasn't been easy. This week has been particularly stressful at work: long hours and not a lot of sleep. And to top it all off, there has been free pizza the last two days. It was just sitting there looking all delicious and fattening.

I just thought to myself this is NOT fair. Why can't I be skinny and not have to worry about what I eat? It's not fair. Then I thought, what if I didn't care what I weighed/how I looked? Then I could eat all the pizza I wanted.

BUT, I didn't cave! I was sooooo proud of myself. I just sat there and put it in perspective. I didn't need that pizza. My salad was better for me AND more filling. My yogurt and apple were a healthier option. I kept my eye on the prize: good weigh-in tomorrow, hitting my goal weight this year and looking hot on my honeymoon in Hawaii in November. That, and some friends words of wisdom, got me through it.

This whole experience made me realize that this is, and always will be, a continuous journey. There will always be temptations (unless I become a hermit), but I just need to take them one at a time. Sometimes I will cave, but I will always get back on track!!

Anyone have any other devices they use when facing temptations besides visualizing and rationalizing?

*I will be sure to let you all know how the weigh-in goes tomorrow morning...

Accountability and Support

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I have been trying to lose weight since high school ... maybe even before then. But I really hunkered down sophomore year in college when I copied my friend's mom's weight watchers books. But I cheated. There were plenty of times to do it. Who was really keeping tabs on me? No one, but me. Kind of easy to rationalize a chocolate chip cookie here or there when no one is checking in on how many points you have left for the day. Even if I did have someone ask how well it was going, it was easy to say: Awesome! I am right on plan for the day ... or not!

It is easy to lie to myself and others when you don't let anyone in ... so this go around on Weight Watchers I got vocal. I let everyone and their dog know I was joining and trying to lose weight.

The first change I made was attending meetings. What is more accountable than having to get on a scale every Monday night? You can't lie to the scale. Tell it to say a lower number than it really says.  It is the most honest thing you can turn to.

In addition to the weighing in at meetings, I became friends with a couple girls there. It was great. Every week we would check in on each other. If someone wasn't there, we would call or text to make sure they were okay. THAT was accountability and support wrapped up in a one hour block every Monday night. THAT I realized was what I needed. Even my leader gave me her email address and allowed me to bother her during the week with any questions I had.

Some people don't like to tell people they are on Weight Watchers, I realized I needed to be the complete opposite. The more people that knew meant the more people I didn't want to let down and the more people I could turn to in a time of need/weakness/success.

I also started texting about a dozen people (from my parents to my wife to my friends) every week after my weigh-in to let them know how it went. If I gained, I felt bad, but I knew these people had my back. This weight loss journey is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. You have a bad week and you get back on the horse the next week. All that came through my friends and I needed it.

I made sure to tell everyone at work as well. Many times I eat in the cafeteria there and I wanted to make sure they would always have the food I needed around. Thankfully we have one of the best salad bars in the game! But the more I talked about it, the more the chef wanted to help and for the past year and a half, he has always had plenty of healthy food on hand for me. Even secretly keeping some in the back for me ;)

In addition to physical support, twitter has become a second family. I have befriended online hundreds of people going through the same exact situation I am. They know what I am thinking and always lend a word of encouragement. OR if I cannot find the correct point value for a pint of Guiness, there is someone in Ireland ready will the anser (6, if you were wondering). :)

Since joining in Nov. '09, I have had about 15 or so friends join Weight Watchers, including my wife. It has been great fun sharing what I have learned with them. But it also gave me a new drive and focus. Having my wife join was one of the best things. We can now keep the food brought into the apartment in check, try new WW recipes and make sure we are hitting our goals.

I love being able to pass on the encouragement that people have given me to my new WW folk. I started a WW excel file, where I keep people's main stats (weight loss to date, weigh-in day and lbs til goal) so I can be sure I am checking in on people when they need it. *Let me know if you want in*

I thought in addition to all of this that starting a blog would hold me the most accountable. I am enjoying posting my food logs and sharing the trials and tribulations. If one post helps someone else, then I think I have done my job.

So if you are looking for help, there are plenty of avenues to go. Find a buddy, attend or meeting or just sign up for twitter and support awaits!

I thank my friends, family, WW leaders and wife the continued support and I thank my meetings for truly holding me accountable...

Happy Four Months

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Today is a big day ... It marks four months since I had back surgery!

*For background: I herniated a disc in my L4-L5 in mid-December 2010 - unfortunately I still don't know how it happened. From that point on I was banned from all activity. I tried PT, but it didn't improve. So on January 28, 2011, I had a microdiscectomy. It was tough, but the pain subsided immediately.

Being banned from working out may have been one of the toughest things I have overcome. Being told not to do something is never what you want to hear.

I never realized how much I took being active for granted. Just wanting to hit the gym for a quick 30 min elliptical. Nope. Hit the pavement for a nice 5k run. Nope. Bust a move at Zumba. Definitely not.

The endorphins from working out kept me level. Without them, my emotions ran amuck. I took the whole ordeal hard. Depression completely set in - especially with it all happening in the heart of a tough Chicago winter. (There was even a blizzard the week after surgery) Hello depression plus Seasonal Affective Disorder.

It wasn't even about not losing weight either. I was so regimented on points that I managed to lose 10 lbs while being laid up.

I was allowed to start really working out about a month ago and my mood immediately improved. Being able to hit the gym actually break a sweat felt like heaven. I could feel the depression lifting.

From that point on, I vowed to never take being active again. I have pushed myself each day, but always make sure to listen to my back to avoid suffering a setback ... that's definitely what I am working to avoid.

On May 17, I ran 3.1 miles for the first time since November. I felt amazing. The amazing feeling that I had after I ran my first marathon.

So happy four months to me! I am off to do some Wii Fit!! :)

What's In A Name

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One of the first things I mulled over before starting this blog was the name. I follow so many and they have catchy names that I love that I didn't want to disappoint! It is probably pretty obvious how this one came about, but I figured I would elaborate any way.



I knew I wanted to use this as a space for me to discuss my ongoing weight loss, but I knew I had to be open to it evolving into something more. I am hoping to use this as a safe space to really let go of things that are on my mind. I don't want to keep things bottled up any longer. It isn't a fun way to live. I want to get back to really living and not dwell on things for longer than needed. I don't like carrying the emotional load on my shoulders anymore. This is a place for me to air it ... and move on.



So I shall use this blog to get both physical and emotional weight off of my shoulders!