Weight Watchers

So, I gained a little weight when I was pregnant for that little while and I didn't like it. Based on my personal history, I knew that the pounds weren't going to go away on their own so I had to do something about it. I've been on weight watchers for 11 weeks and have lost 13.4 pounds! Which today puts me at the just barely top of the weight range for my height.

It has been a little hard, but not too bad. Some things have saved me along the way.

1. Dark Chocolate Covered Raisins from Trader Joe's are 1 point for 10 raisins. That is my evening sweet snack.

2. Greek Yogurt with no fat is so creamy and delicious and can replace mayonaise or sour cream in lots of recipes.

3. I really already love vegetables and fruits and these are minimal calories.

4. There is this great program on my android phone called WWDiary that helps me track my points and activities. I've used it since day one.

5. Fred and I already love to split entrees when we go to restaurants, which makes eating out not too tricky.

6. CalorieCount website makes it easy to find out nutrition information on most foods.

I've also had a couple of epiphanies.

1. I can't compare myself to others. Yes, it is painfully true that there are lots of very thin people who seem to eat whatever without any thought. But that is not my body. I need to watch and count calories and exercise daily. It has to be okay that this is true so I don't become bitter and give up. I'm learning to be okay with that.

2. It is really nice to be thinner. It is nice to see the accomplishment (and to wear shorts that don't come all of the way down to my knees because I'm self conscious.)

I've entered the Maintenance Phase of the program to try to keep the weight off and learn how much I can eat to make that possible. But, not really, because I'm actually trying to keep losing until I get pregnant. The less I weight when I get pregnant, the easier it will be to come back to "normal" when the baby comes. But the way weight watchers works is that if you get to your "goal weight" which must be within the range for your height, and you can maintain for 6 weeks, you can become a "lifetime member" which means that there are no longer any fees to attend meetings and the weekly weigh in if you maintain that goal weight within 2 pounds. So, I chose the top of the range, which gives me a little leeway, but want to keep losing.