Reflections...

So, I joined Weight Watchers. Again. Mostly because I felt like I needed a program, but also because I was excited about their new system. My sister-in-law, her friend Miss Pat, and my sister are joining me in this quest to eat better and lose weight.

And the results so far have been less than stellar.

Basically I'm finding that I'm questioning and feeling resistant to this new points system. Yes, I know that our daily allowance was increased and our weekly points were increased as well. Both very good things! However, I am finding that my food choices use up my points SO QUICKLY! I've been over my points every single day...Thank God I've been exercising so make up for my overage.

So here is a list of things that are hovering in the back of my mind about this new program...
1. I am approaching Weight Watchers with a "Clean Eating" mentality, and it seems like a lot of the choices that I am making are high in points. I know that these foods are good for me, but somehow I'm not feeling any advantage (points wise)to choosing whole foods over processed.
2. I HATE that traditional Weight Watchers staples have gone up in points. It's messing with my belief system!
3. As my sister-in-law told me, on this new program, we are penalized for carbs. Should I be eating less carbs? Yep. However, the carbs that I am eating are whole grains, but they are still carrying a lot of points values. Again, no advantage to eating whole vs. refined.
4. This new program does not count calories-it looks at the nutrients that make up the foods (fat, carbs, protein, and fiber). I am interested in tracking calories along with these nutrients to see how many calories I am actually consuming.
5. I am finding that the harder I exercise to earn activity points, the hungrier I am! It's almost like I am sabotaging myself and my weight loss. And this is something that I most definitely DO NOT want to do!
6. Did I mention that I am eating WAY too many points every single day?
7. I need to eat more vegetables. I was talking about this with Mimi, and mentioned that I needed to eat more salads. She made a comment that she's not going to make salads..just eat more vegetables. So last Saturday when I went to the store, I bought everything I needed to have salad fixings at home. I prepped everything...and there they sit in the fridge. I packed a salad twice for work, and didn't have any interest in eating it. I do, however, love these new vegetable salsas that I've been making, so I thought, maybe Mimi's onto something here. It doesn't matter what form my vegetables take...as long as I am eating vegetables!
8. To piggyback on #7, I enjoy salads prepped at restaurants SO MUCH BETTER than salads prepped in my own kitchen.
9. I started out texting Laura and Mimi my daily points and activity points for the first week. I lost almost 4 pounds the first week! Then I stopped texting and only maintained the next week. I haven't texted them since that first week, and I really fear that my number will again be the same on the scale tomorrow morning. I'm thinking that maybe I Need to go to the support meetings, because having someone "see" how I am doing is very motivating for me.
10. I do feel better about my body. It's only been three weeks, but I feel really good! Some days my pants feel very loose! The scale numbers may not be moving, but I'm praying that if I stick with it, I will see the scale start to go down.
11. I eat entirely too many points every day. (I didn't want to forget to mention that.)
12. I do love to track my eating...except when I don't. Sometimes I find myself omitting things that I've eaten or manipulating the amount of the food that I've eaten. Yea, definitely not the thing to do when I'm trying to lose weight. Maybe I should note how many days I'm "cheating" on this program so I can stop this insanity. I mean, Who am I kidding? It's not like those calories don't count if I don't enter them! (Although, sadly, I think part of me believes that.)
13. I want to be thinner. I want to fit into my summer clothes from two years ago. I want to be healthy and fit. I want to exercise everyday. I want to eat more fruits and vegetables. I want to eat less processed food. I want to fix my poor eating habits. I want to be a good role model for my son.
14. I have about a dozen chocolate topped cookies sitting in my freezer since this program began three weeks ago. I've thought about them many times...I've even opened the freezer once to get them. But I haven't touched them. I can't bring myself to throw them away, but I haven't touched them yet. That makes me proud of myself. And I'm hoping that before I reach for them again, I'll work up the courage to throw them away. And I think I need to explore what's making me hang onto them in the first place!
15. I have not had a soda for 18 days. I only drink water, orange juice, and coffee.
I have felt tempted to drink soda two times, but I've reached for water both times. I can't say I can really tell a difference from cutting out soda, which is disappointing, but I know it's not healthy, so I'm just going to hang on for dear life and see where that takes me.
16. I still reach for sweets over veggies. Daily.
17. In the three weeks since I've started, I've walked/run so many miles on my treadmill. In the first week alone, I tracked over 26 miles! That's like running a marathon! That really struck me, so I've added a tracker to my blog to track my mileage on the treadmill to see how far it takes me!
18. I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I signed up for 3 months of Weight Watchers and I am determined to figure out the right combination of eating and exercise for myself.
19. I want to start swimming again, but Will is working so much overtime at work, that I'm not sure when I could fit it in.
20. I am finding that it takes so much mindful planning to be successful on a plan like this. If I don't plan my meals and track after I've eaten, then I find that I've underestimated how much I've consumed and suddenly my points for the day are gone! Last weekend, I spent a lot of time searching for recipes that are Weight Watchers friendly and I made a few really delicious meals! (Weight Watchers beef barbeque, shredded barbeque chicken, pot roast with veggies, roasted red potatoes...all very yummy. I haven't eaten any as leftovers...another habit that I need to work on.)

I've started reading Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism again. I'll leave you with one of the quotes that really spoke to me in the first chapter...

"We have to wake up and realize that every bite we take and every lifestyle choice we make matters. Not just for calories or fat or carbs, but because those bites or choices tell our bodies how to react. With bite after bite, sip after sip, breath after breath-when we pick the wrong foods or surround ourselves with toxic chemicals, each moment of consumption tells our hormones to do things that, consciously, we would never want them to do."