I
am now near the end of my 6th week in Weight Watchers. I’ve already been asked, “What made you start
dieting again?” In my case it was a
combination of things which were topped off with a comment my doctor made at my
annual checkup in late August. Let me
tell you about it.
I
was seeing clear warning signs that my weight was getting out of control again
but I chose to ignore those signs. I
wonder if any of you might be seeing some of those same signs in your life but
are, like I was, ignoring them? I’ll
share a few and see if they don’t sound familiar to you.
When
I went to my closet I was finding fewer and fewer clothes that fit. You know the feeling. When you needed to get dressed for some
occasion so you went to your closet early to try on that shirt, jacket or the
pants that used to fit only to find that they were now too tight, wouldn’t fit
around the waist, wouldn’t button, etc..
I bet you know that feeling. It’s
like your clothes are trying to tell you that your weight is creeping up but,
if you are like me, you ignore it and keep trying on clothes until you find
something that will work. Before long
you find that you are wearing the same few things over and over which become
your “favorites”, not because you like them more but because they are some of
the few things that still fit. That’s to
say nothing about having to poke new holes in the end of your belt for obvious
reasons. Your body is yelling
“Warning! Warning! Warning!” but you just leave the closet,
telling yourself that “I’ll have to lose a little weight sometime soon” and
turn out the light. That was my story.
My
body sent me other signals that you may be experiencing too. I would walk up a flight of stairs and find
myself puffing at the top. My knee
joints developed pains which never really went away and often impeded my
walking. My feet would send me similar
signals as well which I wrongly attributed to getting older. Something some of you can’t relate to at all,
I’m sure. Those pains made me wonder if
there would be more ‘stuff’ down the road I’d be dealing with, along with my
doctor. Putting on shoes or boots meant
difficulty breathing any time I bent over to tie or lace my footwear. Sometimes it was easier just to hold my
breath until I got the knot tied. I
often would put my shoes on and then stand and put my foot up on something in
order to tie the laces but even then it was more difficult to breathe. My body was trying to talk to me but I was
choosing to ignore it.
Then
there was that visit to my doctor for my annual physical. Overall, it went very well and most
everything was even better than my previous visit. The only thing that wasn’t doing so well was
my weight. I knew that I had “gained a
few pounds” but what’s the big deal?
When my doctor said,” ”Your weight is the highest it’s been since I
started seeing you.” That, as they say,
was the final straw. I knew I was
getting heavier but when he put it that way I left his office determined to do
something about it. I had another family
member who had success with Weight Watchers so I decided to give that program a
try. No, that’s not exactly right. I decided that afternoon that I was going to
do whatever I needed to do to lose some weight.
And that is why I am sharing here with all of you. I had found my motivation.
I
don’t recall if it was from TOPS, Richard Simmons, Nutrisystems who had the
motto “Are you thick, and tired of it?”
That idea was in my head and I decided to claim it as my own. “Yes, I AM thick, and tired of it!” I felt that my weight was getting out of
control and I often ate, not because I was hungry but because the food tasted
so darn good. I don’t think I was
addicted to food but I loved to eat, especially junk food. You name it, and I liked it. I loved chocolate covered anything. Candy bars and soft drinks were always
welcome. And don’t even let me get started talking about my all time
facvoite…CHIP AND DIP!!! Uh oh, I’ve
said it! Anyhow, my wife could fix a
delicious, healthy supper (and she usually did) but I would sometimes run into
town for something in the evening and come home with chips, candy or some other
‘treat’ which negated all the good she had done in preparing a wholesome and
healthy meal. Like I said, I was a junk
food junkie.
In
previous diets I have tried to count calories and found it often times
difficult but WW now utilizes a Power Points system where points are assigned
or can be calculated for any food you see in the store. To encourage me to make more healthy choices
WW assigns zero points for most fruits and vegetable as a way to encourage me
to choose them when I feel hungry without affecting the point totals for the
day. I will share more specifics about
the Weight Watchers program in future posts but I have found their program is
working for me. Its on-line tools are
great at helping me track what I eat, monitor my exercise and so much
more. It’s working and that is all that
counts.
I’m
sure we’ve all heard the song about having a “New Attitude”. That’s what this journey is all
about…developing a new attitude, a new way of thinking about what I eat and how
I exercise to create a more healthy me.
It all starts with making the choice to get serious about losing some
weight and making the changes in our lifestyle which will make those steps
easier for us. If you aren’t in such a
program I’d sure encourage you to check them out and get started on one. If you want a recommendation I would happily
tell you to check out weightwatchers.com and see what their program has to
offer. I finally decided that I was
“thick, and tired of it” and with the help and encouragement of my WW leaders,
the support of others on this journey, and all the on-line tools available,
it’s not only working but it’s fun!
That’s right, it’s fun! It is
said that “Success breeds success.” and that is absolutely true in this
experience as well. I’m losing weight
and learning to eat and exercise in a better way. I feel better and I’m starting to look
better. (Or at least that’s what I’m
hearing.) The greatest joy comes when I
can wear clothes that have set dormant in my closet for months or even
years. It’s happening and for that I am
grateful. I know that there will be low
points when it’s a lot more difficult to stay on the “losing” side of things
but I’m determined to succeed. I’ll keep
you posted on my progress. Thanks for
stopping by to see what’s happening. Let
me know what you think of this whole blog.
It’s already helping me and I am told that it’s encouraging others as
well. That makes it all the more
worthwhile. God bless.
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