Last week I began the new Weight Watchers program. I went about it in a way that was pretty flexible. I wanted to learn more about how it works and what I can do, what I need, etc. It was a way for me to search for recipes, start planning family dinners, and stock up the pantry.....all while tracking and using the app. In the past, I didn't have to track. Everything was measured and planned for me. All I had to do was pick out 5 packets and make one lean and green meal. The lean and green was the only meal I really had to plan for. Because of my program, I usually made something for me, then something for everyone else. I wanted to think about food so little, that the meals I would make for my family were usually on the quick side....sandwiches, frozen pizza, macaroni and cheese, pasta, frozen meals. My kids would ask me about what I was eating and knew they couldn't eat it because it was my "diet food" (their words, not mine).
So, I decided to move on to Weight Watchers. This past week has been great! I have had some foods that were very restricted for me in the past, and it was good! I read a fantastic book.....It Was Me All Along by Andi Mitchell. She was a blogger that I followed years ago, and she just wrote a book a while ago. I read the entire book in less than 2 days. It was one of those books that you read and it speaks so much to you, you think about it all the time. We had different life events and situations happen to us, however, I feel that the way she felt about food was coming straight from my head! She was me! I will have to devote an entire post about that book because it did make such a difference for me.
One thing I really focused on this week was eating as a family....at the kitchen table. I made two new things that my kids have not had before. I made Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu one night, then Swedish Meatballs another night. My kids can be pretty picky eaters...especially my son. He would take a look at something, smell it, and then say no thank you. My daughter is more willing to try things....but she doesn't always like it. Well, my son LOVED both of the meals! He even had seconds! My daughter liked them, had a few bites, but wasn't crazy about them. It felt so good to see them eat something that was healthy and different! I have felt so good this week about making the switch to Weight Watchers....even just for my kids eating somewhat better! Tonight I have this soup in the crockpot. When I saw the picture of it, I just knew I had to make it! Everyone will be home tonight, and we will all be sitting at the table, enjoying dinner together!
If you haven't noticed, I REALLY like Skinnytaste.com. If you have never visited her page, you absolutely must! The number of healthy meals, deserts, apps, soups, etc. on that page is just awesome! Everything is delicious, and made with healthy in mind! I absolutely love that there are meals there that are family and Weight Watchers friendly. She also has a cookbook out....which I also highly recommend!
I have one week down....many more to go. My first week was great! There were some times that I thought I couldn't eat something, and I felt guilty about eating it because it was so restricted before. But I got over it. I know that eating too many carbs is not good for me. But I had some carbs this week....fruit, muffin, oatmeal, etc. and I did ok. I know I have to watch those...I can go really overboard, very quickly. But I can do it. I did it, and I am going to do it again today.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Square Peg, Round Hole
Have you ever tried putting a square peg into a round hole? Not very easy. Some would say impossible.
But it is possible....you just have to either force the square into the hole (think hammer). But when you do that, what happens?
The square is no longer a square.
The circle is no longer a circle.
And you just did a whole bunch of work for two things that are now totally different.
That is how I am feeling now.
My entire life I have struggled with my weight. I can remember going to the doctor as a child and him telling me that if I stay the weight I was then for a few years, I would be fine once I grew into my weight. My response was....I don't want to be on a diet for the next 3 years!
But what ended up happening? I may have tried to diet (I remember eating cottage cheese with peaches a lot), but I didn't maintain my weight, and I have been on a diet ever since.
There have been two times in my life I lost 60+ pounds. The first was right before I got married and did LA Weight Loss. That was in the year 2000. The second time was after I had my two kids and went on Take Shape For Life. That was in the year 2010. Each time, I gained it all back. Those two times were fantastic....but that's not to say I haven't been on a diet ever since. Since those times, I have tried those plans again.....couldn't stick to it. I have done LA Weight Loss, Medifast, Take Shape for Life, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, The Fast Metabolism Diet, Atkins, Transition Lifestyle System, among many, many others. My whole life has been on a diet...and look where I am now.
Still overweight.
I was really successful on Take Shape For Life. About a year ago, I committed to that plan again. I got a wonderful health coach, I worked the program.....until I didn't. In the past, being on a restrictive diet worked for me. I had young kids who were eating babyfood, so it wasn't difficult to make something different for myself. Now, I have a 11 and an 8 year old who want to eat real food, and see what I am eating. They watch me like a hawk! Making meals for them, then for me, then for my husband who works evenings.....it got to be a lot. My kids would eat in the living room in front of the tv or computer. We didn't eat at the table because while their meals were done, I was still cooking mine.
I was trying to get that square peg into the round hole.
And I was getting angry. Angry that I couldn't just have the pasta or the meatballs or the sandwich that I was making for my kids. I have always wanted to be a role model for my kids. I want them to see what I do and what to do it too. I found that the more restrictive I was, I was not showing my kids what it was to be healthy....especially when I would go off plan and eat something I was not supposed to. When I would eat something off plan.....I really went off plan! If I was going to have the cheeseburger, I was going to have the fires, mozzarella sticks, chips, and a giant piece of cake. There was no, just one small piece or one bite. It was all or nothing, and my kids were watching me. I was watching my kids make more and more unhealthy choices.
I have had enough. Enough of myself trying to do something over and over that was not working. It was not working, and I had to fix it. I made the decision to go off the Take Shape For Life plan. It is not a bad program.....it does work! It is just not the right time for me.
Instead, I joined Weight Watchers the other day. To be honest, Weight Watchers never worked for me either because if I could have it, I would have it! I would stay within my points, but not lose weight. That's because I was not eating the right foods. I would eat tons of breads, pasta, cookies....then wonder why I wasn't losing weight. I was not eating healthy, just eating for points. Now I know better.
I am a different person now.
I am older....and wiser (well, maybe not wise....but I do know a lot about eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle). Now, I just have to do it. I have to live the way I want my kids to see me, because I want them to be healthy too. I do not want them to struggle with weight like I have my entire life.
So, I am beginning a new journey. I know this is not going to be easy. I am going to take all that I have learned, all that I know, and apply it to my lifestyle. No more wishing. No more wanting. More doing.
But it is possible....you just have to either force the square into the hole (think hammer). But when you do that, what happens?
The square is no longer a square.
The circle is no longer a circle.
And you just did a whole bunch of work for two things that are now totally different.
That is how I am feeling now.
My entire life I have struggled with my weight. I can remember going to the doctor as a child and him telling me that if I stay the weight I was then for a few years, I would be fine once I grew into my weight. My response was....I don't want to be on a diet for the next 3 years!
But what ended up happening? I may have tried to diet (I remember eating cottage cheese with peaches a lot), but I didn't maintain my weight, and I have been on a diet ever since.
There have been two times in my life I lost 60+ pounds. The first was right before I got married and did LA Weight Loss. That was in the year 2000. The second time was after I had my two kids and went on Take Shape For Life. That was in the year 2010. Each time, I gained it all back. Those two times were fantastic....but that's not to say I haven't been on a diet ever since. Since those times, I have tried those plans again.....couldn't stick to it. I have done LA Weight Loss, Medifast, Take Shape for Life, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, The Fast Metabolism Diet, Atkins, Transition Lifestyle System, among many, many others. My whole life has been on a diet...and look where I am now.
Still overweight.
I was really successful on Take Shape For Life. About a year ago, I committed to that plan again. I got a wonderful health coach, I worked the program.....until I didn't. In the past, being on a restrictive diet worked for me. I had young kids who were eating babyfood, so it wasn't difficult to make something different for myself. Now, I have a 11 and an 8 year old who want to eat real food, and see what I am eating. They watch me like a hawk! Making meals for them, then for me, then for my husband who works evenings.....it got to be a lot. My kids would eat in the living room in front of the tv or computer. We didn't eat at the table because while their meals were done, I was still cooking mine.
I was trying to get that square peg into the round hole.
And I was getting angry. Angry that I couldn't just have the pasta or the meatballs or the sandwich that I was making for my kids. I have always wanted to be a role model for my kids. I want them to see what I do and what to do it too. I found that the more restrictive I was, I was not showing my kids what it was to be healthy....especially when I would go off plan and eat something I was not supposed to. When I would eat something off plan.....I really went off plan! If I was going to have the cheeseburger, I was going to have the fires, mozzarella sticks, chips, and a giant piece of cake. There was no, just one small piece or one bite. It was all or nothing, and my kids were watching me. I was watching my kids make more and more unhealthy choices.
I have had enough. Enough of myself trying to do something over and over that was not working. It was not working, and I had to fix it. I made the decision to go off the Take Shape For Life plan. It is not a bad program.....it does work! It is just not the right time for me.
Instead, I joined Weight Watchers the other day. To be honest, Weight Watchers never worked for me either because if I could have it, I would have it! I would stay within my points, but not lose weight. That's because I was not eating the right foods. I would eat tons of breads, pasta, cookies....then wonder why I wasn't losing weight. I was not eating healthy, just eating for points. Now I know better.
I am a different person now.
I am older....and wiser (well, maybe not wise....but I do know a lot about eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle). Now, I just have to do it. I have to live the way I want my kids to see me, because I want them to be healthy too. I do not want them to struggle with weight like I have my entire life.
So, I am beginning a new journey. I know this is not going to be easy. I am going to take all that I have learned, all that I know, and apply it to my lifestyle. No more wishing. No more wanting. More doing.
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