Wow! I don't even want to think about how long it has been since I've written about food or weight on this blog. But I have to come to grips with the hard and absolute truth. In 2002, I signed up with Weight Watchers for the first time ever. It was actually November. I remember because I realized how crazy I was to start a diet close to Thanksgiving. But I did it. And I followed it through the holidays of 2002. I followed it fairly "religiously" for the first 10 weeks and really for longer than that....rather than weeks, I will look at it as pounds. I followed it fairly "religiously" for the first 30 pounds. My first weigh in, which I believe was on Nov. 15, 2002....I weighed 194.6 pounds. As far as I know, that is the most I had ever weighed in my life. I had watched the scales at home go from the 160's (which I wasn't happy with) to the 170's to the 180's....and I just stopped weighing myself. I was so scared to step on that Weight Watcher's scale and to read the number. My friend who got me to WW had tipped the 200 mark and she had lost 48 pounds at that point, so I was feeling like not getting discouraged but really trying for 10 weeks. If I could lose 10% in that 10 weeks, well....I would know I had a hold of something pretty good.
One thing about my personality: I will follow a plan "perfectly" especially if I have doubts that it will work. Reason being, if it doesn't work....I can blame the "plan" or "program" or "class" or what have you. If I don't follow it to the letter....well, who could I blame then? I would always wonder if the plan was the problem or if I was truly to blame.
The first week, I lost over 7 pounds. Crazy, I know. I don't believe I've had that much success in a week EVER since. I would lose 30 pounds over the next 6 months to a year. Then I would plateau for a while. I would eventually lose to may goal weight and below even. I lost over 50 pounds by the early summer of 2004. Lifetime status was achieved. The heavens opened up, music played, birds flew down and gave me special powers. Well...maybe not really. But lifetime was great. But, I stopped going to meetings and it didn't take long before the pounds would inch back on.
In 2005, I was in my 160's. I would run into friends who had just started doing Weight Watchers and be so excited for their new adventure. I would say I need to go back and lose about 10 pounds. They would say, "oh no, you look great." And inside I would say, "no, I really don't!" I don't remember the exact numbers but I pushed toward 170 and really buckled down and tried to follow WW on my own. Still don't know how I did it, but I got back to the 150's by the summer of 2006.
My current full-time job came along and I was hired January of 2007. I was in my 150's (although pushing 160) when that happened. The summer of 2007, clothes were not fitting. I had started blogging and when I look back to wanting to lose 22 pounds....well... I miss wanting to lose ONLY 22 pounds. I am pretty sure my weight was around 172 then (I blog a little ambiguously at times....fearful of judgment or what-not....but I am inspired by those with the courage to write their real weight). But I had found some online support in the weight loss rendezvous. As I read back over my early blogging about my weight loss, it seems I would go up and down each week. I actually started going to WW meeting again in October of 2007. It seems I would get fed up with myself because I wouldn't stick with the program. I do remember doing WW for 4 months and not really losing overall....maybe a total of a pound and a half. I would gain and lose consistently, likely within the same week. At any rate, I don't believe I blogged about my weight for 9 more months. And I am pretty sure during that time, my weight hovered in the higher 170's....maybe even tipped 180 or so.
In early 2009, I joined another challenge, and I went back to the WW meetings. I did lose like 5 pounds in that challenge and really don't remember what the weight was around. But I know that losing 30 pounds has been what I'd like to do for SOME time now. Over the bulk of 2009, I would choose to do some things to lose weight or exercise or even be healthy but each of them were short-lived. Remember when I told you about my personality....how I jump in and do things perfectly? Well, that only works once. Once I learn that the program works, my hidden agenda of wanting to blame a program won't work again. I KNOW WW works....I lost 50 pounds! That is....well, that is pretty good proof. And back in April of this year, for 3 months....I turned into a health nut. I gave up refined sugar, flour, caffeine,....among other things. I was eating a great deal of raw foods. I did that really well and lost some weight. I had assumed it would just "fall off." And it didn't....I think I lost about 12 or 15 pounds. And my motivation was more health-oriented. I wrote some in this blog about my "boobie issues." And I followed the health stuff out of fear. And in July, I learned I would have to have surgery anyway....well THAT day, I went to Red Lobster. I was eating with some co-workers who had watched the "healthy eating" and I said, "I can tell you right now....I am eating a biscuit."
S-T-R-E-S-S is a huge factor for me. On a rare occasion, I will not be able to eat. That happened for a couple weeks before my surgery. I had no appetite and lost down into the mid 160's. But I had surgery on August 7, 2009.....and I got my appetite back shortly after. I don't think I've stopped eating since. There is a part of me that thinks 2009 is like the worst year I've had in a while (my husband lost his job, health issues, etc.)....and that same part of me thinks that "magically" 2010 is going to be so much better. Well, I am not so sure that reality is magical. So, I have been reading here and there some other folks adventures with weight loss....occasionally printing out a recipe or meal plan. But I need to do SOMETHING.
The
Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is having a "Shrink-A-Versary" Challenge....and I am going to jump on in. I think they just started this challenge, so I will get the deets and officially weigh in tomorrow. In the meantime, I gotta figure out what plan or program I am doing to lose this weight....which I am pretty sure is gonna be around 30 pounds....not necessarily for the challenge but to get back to where I need to be! Posting about my weigh in and goals tomorrow....see you then!
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