I would say it’s totally a mental thing. It’s meant to give you flexibility. It’s meant to help you feel like you’re not blowing it.
Back in the day, there used to be a points range you’d get every day. Like 18-23. Anything you didn’t use, you’d carry over to the next. The problem became what if your big food day was on your weigh in day (like Saturday for example). You start out the week at a deficit! Or you’ve blown it on day one! So they rejiggered it so that you get it all right out of the gate, and use them when you need it.
But yes, the weight loss plan is designed so that you may use all points given and still lose weight (in theory, YMMV of course).
And it’s not “eating more” really. Those points you get over the course of the week (the daily target and the 35 all added together) are still a hell of a lot less than what the typical WW member would have eaten otherwise if they weren’t following the program at all.
Lots more energy, I used to fall asleep at my desk every afternoon at work
Sorry, I don’t remember your gender - but SHOPPING and CLOTHES. I used to wear the same pair of baggy, loose-fit Eddie Bauer jeans EVERY day with a baggy shirt/sweater. Now, I have a closet full of adorable size 6 clothes and everything I put on looks awesome.
Cutting my toenails is a breeze. Seriously - cutting my toenails used to leave me red-faced and out of breath and was a huge pain.
A few years ago, I was walking around Vancouver on holiday and my hips/knees started to hurt terribly. I had to keep stopping and I was a total not fun drag for the people I was with. Another time, I was walking around outside in a skirt on a warm summer day and my thighs started to chafe so badly I could barely walk - also, seriously not fun and embarassing. Those kinds of issues are OVER, blisters on my feet might stop me, but not my weight.
Confidence. I used to be a sad, miserable person, I never looked at myself (not in the mirror, or down at myself in the shower), I definitely didn’t want to be naked in front of anyone. I didn’t want to look at people, because I didnt want them to see me since I was so heavy. Now, I am happy, I smile at strangers, I make eye contact, I stand up straighter. I like myself a lot better, I know I can stick to a difficult thing and work really hard.
Maintaining my weight loss is just as hard as losing weight ever was - it’s hard to stay motivated every day. To find good, healthy recipes, to figure out what to eat for a work event when they graciously bring in pizza for everyone, to pack lunches and baggie up vegetables for snacks, to be the “weird” one who eats “weird” and not “normal” most of the time. To no longer see the scale drops that kept me pumped and motivated during weight loss.
Definitely definitely work on getting your mind around this now, because maintaining weight loss is hard work for the rest of your life - although the rewards are amazing and definitely keep me motivated!
Very well done! That means you lost the equivalent of my entire body when I was thin in 2006 :eek: . Congrats, and keep up the good work. How far do you have to go to reach your target?
Well, I’m pretty much there. The BMI charts say that in order for me to not be “overweight” (I’m 5’8", and really am big-boned!) I’d have to be 175. But you know what? I haven’t had any plastics yet, and I’m estimating that’s going to take at least 10lbs of excess skin, so that would handle that.
Realistically, though, I’d be fine with reaching 180 before seeking plastics, so I have a little extra room for “bounce-back”. Honestly, though, I’m fine with the way I am right now, and would be thrilled if I never lost another ounce. I’m a Misses size 16, and I look like a “normal” person.
I’m really going to try to find time to get some pics taken this weekend and update my picturetrail account. I’ve probably dropped 20 more pounds since last time I had pics done.
So, I’m losing at about 1.5 lb week, which is good, and I’m losing about a cm a week at the waist, too. It’s not exciting, but it’s steady. No milestones for me.
Congratulations, norinew and baker. I am profoundly jealous. I want a milestone.
Well, let’s try guilt; I’ve been going to the gym every morning*, inspired by your example. While I’m slogging on the treadmill, watching Spanish language news or reality-re-runs, or trying to tell myself that 90lbs on a leg press is fine, dear, I draw strength in knowing that some else is bored and cranky.
I’ve been depending on you, sister. Don’t let me down.
So, you gained a pound. Hmmm. Did you go up in any of your dimensions? You know, I go up and down a pound in a day a lot (I weigh myself every day), and I have noticed that it depends primarily on how much undigested food is still in me. And don’t sweat the bonus points; we all have to break out sometime. Last night I had chocolate raspberry torte.
My benefits are all boring and uninspiring, though. More energy, more strength, fitting into one pair of pants again …
I have an old dressmaker’s dummy that I set to my original measurements. That, and my charts, are my best inspiration.
Wow! That is one heck of a milestone – congratulations norinew!
I assume that most people at the gym feel a bit of a kinship; we’re all in this pain together. When I start to feel self-conscious, I remind myself of what I think when the roles are reversed. There is a very heavy woman, a stranger, in my neighborhood that rides her bike each night. Every night I see her, I am reminded just how dedicated she is. It didn’t take long before I was rooting for her. Each time she’s out there, it makes me feel good.
Feeling better physically every single day of the week. The obvious stuff: When I shovel snow, I don’t get that ‘I’m having a heartattack’ feeling. When playing games with my kids, I can keep up with them. Fighting off ninjas is not quite as troublesome. And the subtle stuff: I sleep better and have more energy throughout the day.
Add to that, feeling better mentally every single day. Since I watch what I eat, I don’t get mood swings from eating junk food. And the relief and confidence for taking control of something that has been nagging at me for years.
To be honest, I didn’t have to lose many pounds to start noticing these differences. So pay attention and don’t fear that it is going to take months before you start getting some positive – that may not be the case.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. And a great big congratulations to all you huge losers out there!
Pbbbth, I’d need my own thread to cover all the positive changes I’ve experienced! But a lot of it is gradual. Just one day you realize “Hey, that’s not as hard as it used to be!” It’s hard work. But it is sooooo worth it!
I am stuck. And I know that, in order to get unstuck, I need to just stay serious about what I’m doing, rather than getting loosey goosey with my program the way I have been (like, tallying up points in my head but not writing them down, etc).
I have been able to get to the gym more now that PT is over. I did a Spin class and ran 3 miles this morning and I feel great. And I’m trying to walk the fine line between realizing that having a hard time losing these last 10 pounds isn’t something to beat myself up over and using that as an excuse not to do it.
Checking in after missing a couple of weeks. My cousin had a stroke and died. I only spoke with her a couple times a month, but we’ll miss her. She was born in February of 1910…she went to college and had a career and travelled the world, all when women just “didn’t do that kind of thing.” Fortunately, she was feeling fairly decent during the holidays and was able to join us at my sister’s home one last time. She’s buried with her parents now at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery.
Anyway, at the moment I’m still where I was a couple weeks ago…164 pounds. And I got back to my usual exercise routine a couple days ago, so maybe I’ll have progress to report next week.
I started the month at 227.6 lbs and weighed in at 224.8 yesterday. I actually gained some weight last week - I had a really crappy morning at work Wednesday and ended up doing a lot of stress eating. I eventually said to heck with it and ignored WW for the rest of the week. But yesterday started a new week and I’m back on plan! Oh, except for the Hershey’s snack size bars I had last night - I’m down to Flex Points for the rest of the day, so I added 15 minutes to my cardio this morning! I fully expect to have my will power back to 100% for the rest of the week.
People have started to notice I’m losing weight. My jeans are looser these days and I’ve been doing a lot of clothes shopping and actually enjoying it. Oh, and I keep trying to tighten my belt past where the holes end when I put it on. It might be smaller belt time soon!
I am back onto the diet and workin-out band wagon. I walked dang near 5 miles on Saturday! Woohoo for me! I am not weighing myself again until next sunday though because I did kind of stop for a few days and I am skeered of what it is going to say to me this week.
My diet has been going rather well and I’ve noticed my waist getting smaller, which is great. What I am wondering is why my arms don’t look smaller? I was 152 pounds sometime last year, so if we count that, then I’ve lost about 14 pounds. Why do I still have fat arms?
If you’ve bulked up sufficiently to get fat arms and then slimmed down you may need to do some toning up to get them slim again, weights and flexes. Once I’m closer to my target weight I know I’ve got some toning to do muscle wise, but at the moment there’s not much point as it will all be hidden under chub.
My current weight, as of this morning, is 196.2 pounds. I started at 224. I’m pleased with the loss, but not as much as I thought I would be. All I seem to want is the goal weight, not the current.
:eek: 