Weight Watchers Update

So today I went for my last weekly weigh in before holiday and it was a good one - another 2lbs off! I didn't quite make the pre-holiday mini goal I had set myself but I am more than happy with where I am right now. I have lost a total of 29.5lbs since I started Weight Watchers and probably a little more than that since I last went to Vegas.

Prior to joining WW I was pretty much always on a 'diet' and my weight was something that I shied away from and tried to pretend wasn't what it actually was because in reality that would be admitting to myself that I was overweight. What a lot of people don't know is that as a younger girl I was bullied for being over weight and those words stuck with me from my teens right through to my adult life and are probably one of the major factors of my lack of confidence in how I looked and felt no matter what other people told me. Ultimately the more I re-run the bullying in my head the more I went on a diet but because deep down I felt a failure for having to diet I really didn't care so the diets failed. It was a vicious circle that was constantly rewarded with the wrong types of food and lack of caring about me.

So in Jan 2016 I bit the bullet and I joined WW, something I had always said I didn't need to do as I was in control and because I didn't believe that it would actually work for me. My mindset soon changed and as I started to lose weight I quickly realized that diets on the whole don't work, they are just quick fixes - what I actually needed was a healthier lifestyle and that is what WW was offering me. With the aid of my Weight Watchers app and the support and encouragement of my group I started menu planning and thinking about what I was eating rather than just reaching for what was quick and convenient. My love for cooking was re-ignited and I started to scour cookbooks and the internet to find new and tasty things to eat. My mentality towards food and fitness totally changed too, I now seem to automatically opt for the healthier options and I get fuller a lot more quickly from eating a lot less. I walk more than I ever did and now I can walk faster and further without getting out of breath and being a hot, sweaty, achy mess after just 15 mins! To say that my life has changed for losing the weight seems a little dramatic but I can honestly say I have never felt as healthy and happy as I do now. Shopping for clothes is now an absolute delight although I do have to constantly remind myself that I am not the size I used to be - its funny how I still seem to reach for things in the size I was and not what I am now. People that haven't seen me for a while notice and comment, and while that may sound vain its those words of 'oh wow you look good' or 'you have lost so much weight' that have helped to keep me motivated and on track. Losing weight and keeping it off is a mental thing as well as a physical thing and the support networks we build around ourselves are a great help in this. I know that I am very lucky to be blessed with a very supportive family and friends as well as a great group.

Its not always been easy and all been plain sailing though, there have been weeks where I have maintained even though I have stayed on track and there have been weeks where I have had a gain too. But this is all part of the journey, life happens and life is to be lived, its far to short to say no! If I want a piece of cake, or to enjoy a party/birthday/holiday then I will but its now a short lived experience rather than an every day one. So I am off to the USA on my hols this coming weekend and I am looking forward to a little break from point counting and tracking. I know I wont be good and probably wont make the most sensible of choices where food is concerned however there will be plenty of walking done and I will try to stay in control as much as I can without being a food bore! As soon as I am home I will head for class for a weigh in and to face the damage because I know that as soon as I do I can take control again and get back to where I want to be.

This post is certainly not a preach to say that everyone above a certain weight should go join a slimming club. Your weight is your own business and no-one else's, as long as you are happy with the way you look is the most important thing. I didn't like how I looked or felt which is why I made the decision to join WW. Be your own self and be happy with who you are.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Feel free to leave me a comment and a link to your blog if you have one.

Love and hugs,

Jane