Weigh-In: Week 3

Last Thursday was my 3 week weigh-in at Weight Watchers.  It had been 2 weeks since my last weigh-in because last week I couldn't make the meeting as one of my kids had a ski race and I have to be mom first!  I was nervous and kind of unsure of what the scale would say...

This week's loss:  -5.8  
Total Loss to Date: -14.4

I have to admit, I was somewhat disappointed in that number since it was for 2 weeks.  When I put it in perspective, Weight Watchers wants you to have a loss of 1/2 to 2 pounds per week to do it at a healthy rate.  So this was still higher than that.  I got another 5 pound loss sticker.  Others said I did great.  So why was I feeling this way?

Maybe it was the realization that this isn't going to be a quick fix?  Maybe it was the fact that when I was younger I could take off weight quickly and I'm not so young anymore?  Maybe I am chocolate deprived?

I have no idea but I did manage to snap out of it quickly so all is good.  After our meeting, I went out to dinner with the two girls I go to Weight Watchers with.  They have been doing this after each meeting since they started together last April and I'm glad I can be included too because it's great to be able to talk with them.  We can share foods we have found that are low in points (WW is based on a points system), talk about how we all got to this place (our stories are amazingly similar!) and give each other support.  It's interesting to hear what everyone has to say in the actual WW meeting but I almost find I get more out of this weekly chat with the girls.  I find that I am looking forward to Thursday nights instead of dreading them!

Recipe: Chicken Puttanesca (3 SP)

I'm going to share recipes here that I have tried and liked so if anyone wants to try them you can!  Plus I can never find anything and this will give me an easy way to find them again!!  I LOVED this one and my family did too....though the kids did scrape off some of the toppings!  I served it with brown rice and veggies.  Mmmmm!  Weight Watchers says that this recipe is 3 Smart Points.

Disclaimer:  I did not create this recipe...it is from the Weight Watchers Recipes.

Chicken Puttanesca

2 sprays cooking spray

1 1/4 pounds uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons butter (I used light butter)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

10 medium black olives, sliced (I used a few more than this)

1 tablespoon capers--rinsed, drained & chopped

           (I used a few more and didn't chop them up)

14 oz. canned diced tomatoes

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Slip the chicken into the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking just until the chicken is cooked through, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of one chicken breast registers 165°F, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Melt the butter in the same skillet and add the garlic and red pepper flakes; stir over the heat for 30 seconds.

Stir in the olives and capers; pour in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly until just slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet; cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 1/3 cup sauce per serving.

Binging and purging...

No worries...I haven't traded in my Weight Watchers membership for an eating disorder.  I just cleaned out my food pantry!  I've been binging for far too long now...so it's time to purge!

It's kind of liberating to go through all of the bad food you've been collecting and get rid of it!  I can't totally rid my house of bad stuff since I have two teenage boys living here but I got rid of a lot of the things that are tempting to me.  I am trying to cook more with fresh meats and produce instead of pre-packaged and processed crap.  I'm hoping that not only will I lose weight but my whole family will become healthier.  Though last night when my 16 year old got home from school and was looking for a snack and I suggested an apple he looked at me like I had two heads!  He's a work in progress...

Last night I went shopping and replaced all of the stuff I'd thrown out with healthier options.  No wonder people eat junk....healthy stuff is so much more expensive!  Can't put a price on good health though, right?  :)

First Weigh-in and my First Star...

So it's been a week that I've been following the WW plan and tonight I went for my first weigh-in.  I felt like I had done really well but I needed the "proof" on the scale.  I didn't feel deprived this week and didn't suffer from cravings for bad foods.  I know it's just the first week but I am feeling good about it.

I am down 8.6 pounds this week!!  I am pretty psyched about that!  Now if I could just do that every week this would be a piece of cake!   I know the first week is always a big loss and I won't be able to do this every week but I'm pretty happy with it.  :)  WW gives you stickers for different things and tonight I got my first sticker for losing my first 5+ lbs!   Who thought only kids like stickers?

My first sticker

The booklet that WW gives you to keep track of your success

First Meeting...

Tonight I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting--something I swore I'd never do....and guess what?  It wasn't so bad!  I went with a couple of friends who have been doing the WW plan for a while so they had told me a lot about it in advance.  I think going with friends and knowing what to expect made it less intimidating.  I'm not sure what I was expecting....did I think they would all point and laugh or something?  Did I think they would announce my weight on a loud speaker?

I had pre-registered online so it was pretty simple.  You just go in and wait in line to weigh in and they record your weight in a little book that you bring with you each week.  No one is able to see your weight and they don't say it out loud, even to you.  The other people at the meeting stand back at a distance so that it is more private for those being weighed.  The hardest part was seeing the number when she wrote it in my book.  :(  I had expected it but it was still hard to SEE it and to know someone else had seen it.  But the woman who weighed me didn't look at me with disgust....she wrote down my weight, calculated my weekly points for me (more about that in a future post), and told me she was glad I was joining them and she'd see me next week.  So far, so good...

The meeting part is after the weigh-in.  You don't have to stay for the meeting if you don't want to but it is obviously encouraged.  There is a group leader who is really energetic and excited (or she's had too much caffeine!) about the plan and there are opportunities for others to talk about whatever they want--recipes or foods they've found, challenges they've faced, questions about the plan, whatever.  And they give out little awards to people for losing 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 5% of weight, etc.  Who doesn't like to be recognized for their accomplishments?

A lot of the people there were clearly not as fat as I....but I didn't feel uncomfortable.  I am hoping that these people will have a lot of information to share as I take this journey.  Who knows....maybe one day I will be one of those annoying people who look like they don't belong there!  Let's hope!

And so it begins...

I'm just gonna jump on the bandwagon and be one of those people who decide that January is the month to make a New Year's resolution to fix everything that is bad in my life.  Fortunately for me, that really all comes down to one thing--FAT!--the dreaded F word!  I don't use the word fat to put myself down or in a negative way...it's just reality.  "Fat" is only an insult if you allow it to be.  Are overweight, plump, chubby, obese, etc really any nicer?  They are all just words for fat, right?  If you call the same person FAT and OVERWEIGHT they still look the same and weigh the same.  It's just a word....why let it bother you!

So, that being said, what the hell am I going to do about it?  Just because I am okay with the word doesn't mean I am okay with being fat!  It's a great word and all but it's one I hope that someday can't be used to describe me.  I am not okay with the control that fat has over my life.  I'm not okay with being unhealthy.  I am not okay with being tired all of the time because I am carrying around all this fat.  I am not okay with being embarrassed by the way I look.  I am not okay with having to buy plus size clothes.  I am not okay with setting a bad example for my kids.  I am not okay because this fat is hiding the REAL me.....the one under all of this fat....

So I need to get BEYOND THE FAT.....

So, what the plan??  I have tried so many things.  I've tried different diet plans, joining a gym, counting calories, eliminating things from my diet....and none of them have worked long term.  I can't tell you the number of times I have lost 50 pounds in my life only to regain it again....and more.  :(  I ask myself the same question that I ponder every time I begin this journey....How will this time be different??

Despite the fact that every time I start I tell myself that "this time will be a 'lifestyle change' not a diet" I still push myself in a way that I lose a lot of weight to start out but it isn't something that is maintainable.  I tend to have an "all or nothing" personality where I am either being super strict with my diet or I am gorging myself on everything in sight.  I really need a plan where I am focusing on getting healthy in a way that is maintainable for life.  I have to face the fact that I can never go back to the way things have been.  I need to realize that I didn't put all of this weight on overnight and it's not going to come off overnight.  I need to adjust my thinking and realize it's not just about the number on the scale but my overall health.  This has been a constant battle for over 30 years and there will be setbacks along the way.  I need to learn how to deal with those setbacks in a positive way.  I need to realize that *I* am important enough to make this effort for.

So today I signed up for Weight Watchers.  I have tried this plan before but I've never been "all in." I've always refused to do the part where you attend weekly meetings and get weighed in by the WW staff.  I've been too embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know just how bad the situation is.  The number on the scale has always been my "secret shame" and something I've hidden from everyone (well, except my hubby!  Isn't HE lucky?).  Maybe it's been a way of not facing it and allowing myself to stay in denial.  This time I took the plunge and signed up to attend the meetings.  I think I need that accountability and I am one who likes a challenge (and never to lose them!  Shocking, I know!) so I think I will challenge myself to see a lower number on the scale each week.  I have a friend who has been doing the program since last April and she has lost a ton of weight and looks amazing!  If she can do it, why can't I?

Weight Watchers new theme is "Beyond the Scale" (hence the name of my blog--Beyond the Fat!) and I believe that is what I need in my life.  I need to get beyond the scale and the fat so that I can be my healthiest and happiest self!