Reflections from My Last Weigh In

After my weigh in last week I have been contemplating the current status of things. Trying to figure out where I went wrong or what I could do to improve this week. After Week 27 Issues happened I seriously considered giving up. I mean, I followed plan to a tee and added in more activity. How could I have failed?

I got home from my meeting on Thursday and just cried. Actually I was bawling uncontrollably. I had failed miserably. I know, I shouldn't let one week ruin all the progress I have made. I mean I have lost 42 pounds so far so I much have been doing something right. I was just crushed. I lost ZERO pounds. I mean, I didn't lose any weight, but I also did not gain any weight either. That has to count for something.

Here is where I turned this 'failure' into a victory. A non-scale victories:

1. I stayed for the whole meeting, even though I seriously wanted to walk out.
2. I didn't turn to food when I got home in order to heal my emotional wounds.
3. I kept tracking, even though the voice in my head was telling me not to care.
4. I looked back at the week's progress reports to see where I could improve.
5. I DID NOT GIVE UP!

Looking over the progress reports online (which are available to etools subscribers) is where I think I was able to pinpoint where I went wrong this week. I looked at both the week on its own and the month as a whole. I realized that in my effort to "follow plan" last week I did too good of a job. Everyday last week I had points left over for the day and not just like 3 or less.

The points leftover ranged from 8-17 points. That is ALOT of points to leave and not eat. Especially when Weight Watchers gives you a certain number of points to eat everyday for a reason. I concluded that although I was exercising I was not eating enough to really fuel my body. Especially since I was exercising almost daily. I also found and interesting trend that showed the weeks that I did not use my weekly points were shown to be either a small gain, or staying the same. I guess I just need to accept the fact that I am smack dab in the middle of a plateau and that eventually I will get through it as long as I don't give up. I mean look at how far I have come since I joined Weight Watchers.

This week I plan to make sure all my points will be used each day. I also plan to start back working out starting tomorrow at 5 AM. I can get through this. I WILL get through this. I will not let one setback ruin all the progress I have made. This is a process and I am learning so much about myself on this journey.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 27

I found this image online and the quote was exactly what I needed this week. There were a few extenuating circumstances that happened this week which was out of my control. Everything happened today as well. It started out as a great day. Class was canceled so I got to spend some more time with my son before school.

I was feeling good because I got up at 5 am everyday this week and worked out. The energy difference is amazing and I will attribute that to a combination of working out, my CPAP machine, and eating the right foods to stay on track. In fact I was feeling amazing and super excited for my meeting tonight. I was doing everything right and I knew my weight would be down.

Then, my phone decided to go swimming in the toilet. That is also the reason that I do not have a screenshot of my weigh in for this blog post. My phone was dead, literally. I jumped online and printed out my monthly pass and headed to my meeting sans phone. That was no problem though because I had lost weight this week. I mean how could I not have. I never went over my points, I didn't use more than half of my weekly Points Plus allowance, I didn't use any of the activity points I earned this week. I worked out before school and even got off the bus at the first campus stop so I had to walk farther to get to class.

I parked and basically skipped into my Weight Watchers meeting even though I was a bit late due to phone issues. I got on the scale and waited patiently for the receptionist to tell me how much I lost. I lost NOTHING! I asked her to weight me again because that couldn't be right, could it? It was. I had lost nothing I weighed exactly the same as I had last week. The news was crushing, I did everything I could to not break down right their but inside, I was sobbing. I went into the meeting room and took a seat in the back, instead of my usual seat. I was still in shock. If I had done everything right then how did it not show on the scale?

I don't really remember the meeting much because I spent most of it going over my week in my head. After the meeting I talked to my leader because I was just so frustrated. She reassured me that this was part of the process, and that at least I had not gained either. She said that maybe all the work I did this week would show up on the scale next week. I hope that will be the case, but I really just want to give up. However I have come so far and I can't give up now. I have to get through this. Here is to a better week.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you sign up for Weight Watchers by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 263.6
Current Week: 0
Total Loss: 42.8

September 2015 Progress, Now with Measurements!

279 pounds                                                   269.6 pounds                                            263.3 pounds

It is that time of the month again. No not that time, its progress pictures time. Oh, and those measurements that I planned on taking last month. I finally took them and will be adding them to this post. The above picture is my progress over three months. There was a difference of 9.6 pounds between July and August and a difference of 6.3 pounds between August and September. If you would like to see more of my July-August progress check it out here. I am pretty happy with my progress, especially when I just look at my progress from July to September. Which was a total loss of 15.7 pounds over the last two months. I guess I have made more progress that I thought when I look at it from  that perspective.

I am digging these new workout pants that was a reward for myself for re-reaching my 40 pounds lost weight loss goal. They are even a size 18/20! When I started Weight Watchers in March I was a size 24 pants. Well lets just say a size 24 but in reality I was probably a size 26 squeezed into a size 24 because I refused to buy anything bigger. Which is also why I wore A LOT of sweats back then, like every single day.

 I know that the angle of the pictures are a little different, but that is due to the fact that my sister took them for me while I was at my Dad's house because my boyfriend was out of town on a golf trip with the males in his family. It was nice to spend some time with just my sister because it doesn't happen very often. The side view is probably my favorite because I feel like this is where you can see the most progress, especially in the stomach area.

I also feel like you can see the progress in the rear photos as well. I am slowly but surely shrinking my 'back-boobage' :) I have also been contemplating taking pictures from the front with my stomach showing, because I feel like that would really show progress. However, that is even scarier than taking full body pictures and posting them for everyone to see. I think I will take some though, just for me and maybe one day I will post them here. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that day to come. Anyways without further ado, here are the measurements that I promised last month, but didn't take. Much like the pictures I never took measurements from the beginning of my journey with Weight Watchers, for the second time. (and hopefully the last time) I am determined to stick with it this time.

Measurements	March ‘15	Sept. ‘15
Neck	-	15.5
Right Arm	-	20
Left Arm	-	19.5
Bust	-	50
Waist	-	45.5
Hips/Rear	-	54
Right Thigh	-	30.5
Left Thigh	-	30
Weight	306.4	263.3
Dress Size	24/26	22

Next month, I will continue to post measurements with my pictures. So that when the scale 'fails' me, I have other ways to show progress on this journey. This will help with the discouragement due to lack of 'progress' in the weight loss department.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you sign up for Weight Watchers by 12/31/2015.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 26

After last weeks gain I really buckled down on plan this week. I even made sure to take my lunch to school with me complete with a mid-morning snack. I decided that I will only drink water at school which is a big thing for me because I love diet soda. It has helped me stay on track and if I feel like I need a little something extra I use Crystal Light water flavorings and that really hits the spot.

This week I can totally tell the difference since starting CPAP therapy. I haven't NEEDED to hit snooze in the mornings. I have also been getting up earlier, like 5 AM earlier because I plan on adding in early morning workouts to my routine. I have also focused on making sure I eat all my daily points. My hard work this past week has paid off because I finally made it back to 40 pounds lost, and then some.

Now that I have made it past my 40 pound milestone, again, it is time to add in exercise to my plan. I mean like more than the occasional workout too. I plan on working out before school and if that means I have to go to bed earlier so I can get up at 5 AM everyday I am going to do so. Here is to another great week. This journey will continue.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 263.6
Current Week: -3.8
Total Loss: 42.8

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 25

I am actually pretty happy with my weigh in this week. I was expecting to gain like 1.5-2 pounds after the weekend I had. I just finished my first week back at Weber State University. Go Wildcats! My mom came into town for a surprise visit. My boyfriend's birthday happened so we had a bar-b-que to celebrate.

The BBQ consisted of a makeshift potluck in which people brought potato salad, pasta salad, and a veggie tray (yay!). We provided the hot dogs, buns, and salad (with 3 different light salad dressings). I had one hotdog, sans bun, and a plate of salad. I also had assorted veggies with light ranch dip. I was trying so hard to be good, but at the same time I didn't want to be deprived so I had about 3 tablespoons of everything else. Not to mention the beer. Then we had leftovers for days so we kept eating that food for days following.

I also came down with a massive cold which hit me pretty bad on Labor day and that forced me to miss school on Tuesday. It is pretty hard to stay on track when you are out of groceries and sick at the same time. All in all I am happy with the week considering the circumstances. Here is to getting back on track!.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 267.4
Current Week: +0.8
Total Loss: 39

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 24

And so it starts... Maybe it was the self sabotage from last week. Or that I kind of soaked off since I met one of the bigger goals so far. Maybe it was stress eating while studying. I just am having a heck of a time staying on plan lately. That is getting to me also because I have two birthdays and Labor Day next week.

School started off on the wrong foot also because on Monday I packed my healthy lunch, but somehow left it at home while trying to get myself and my son off to school. That is going to take some getting used to. I honestly thought that I would have a loss this week because of the extra activity from walking between classes. Guess I thought wrong. My goal it to give myself a month and then start adding in 3 workouts a week. I want to give myself sometime to get acclimated to the amount of reading I will have to do this semester. I got this. Graduation will occur this Spring. Bachelor's degree here I come!

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 266.6
Current Week: +0.2
Total Loss: 39.8