Starting over, again.

Today I did what I've been needing to do for awhile. There was no more denying my clothes not fitting like they used to, or my inability to control my appetite and how much I was eating. I needed something to keep me line since I can't seem to do it myself. I went back to Weight Watchers.

There is nothing like getting on the scale knowing it's going to read a number that is higher than you want it to be. Finding out just how high it is is even worse. I am all about being open and honest here on my blog, but for now, I don't want to admit what I weighed in at. It's higher than I've been in many many years and I don't like it. Not. One. Bit.

It's that kind of anger and frustration that I need to get me off my butt and do something about it. And I am the only one who can do it. I am excited about following the new PointsPlus program and see what all it has to offer. I am excited to plan my meals and have that structure that I need to stay on point.

I didn't stop going to Weight Watchers because I wanted to. I stopped going because when I got busy at work and needed every minute I could to do what I needed to and was bringing work home to do in the evenings, the easiest thing to give up to make time for that was my time at WW and working out. All of a sudden, my Friday mornings were spent wherever I had surveys or permitting or customer meetings, so I wasn't able to go to my WW meeting. When I would get home from work, instead of putting on my running shoes the minute I got home and running out the door, I was sitting down at my dining room table to continue to work on whatever I brought home with me. I was also eating whatever was quick and easy. All of this added up to extra pounds for me. Nobody's fault but mine. I didn't like it but I was doing what had to be done. This is where I need to find balance. I work to hard at work to keep things busy and I can't let being busy control my every minute and affect my wellness.

A good friend is doing WW too. I look forward to sharing recipes, thoughts, motivation, and more with her. I also just last night read a post on Colleen Bee Fit's blog about how she just reached her Lifetime weight goal. What an inspiration she is! Her before and after photos are incredible and she is so amazing. I guarantee you when I walked back in to Weight Watchers this morning, I was thinking about her meeting her goal. I want to again feel that excitement of getting to my goal weight and I want to br proud of myself for working my butt off.

It won't be easy. Lord knows my body doesn't respond like it used to. But nothing worth having is easy. It'll be hard to not eat everything in site and have to really limit those glasses of wine I so enjoy. On the flipside, I will enjoy foods that I love and I will be taking better care of myself. In return, I look forward to feeling better not only about how I look, but also about how I feel. I don't like being achy and sore all the time. My body is telling me something. And finally, I am listening. That is a very empowering thing.

I hope you'll follow me on my journey. Any support I can get is important to me and will motivate me to keep plugging away at this, one pound at a time, however long it takes.

Back to basics!

In my ongoing quest to figure out what I need to do to make this whole weight-loss thing work for me, I started thinking about how I did the first time I joined WW in January of 2006. The biggest thing that jumps out at me is that I didn't use eTools then. I tracked everything by hand. My little journal went everywhere with me. I would even write out my whole day ahead of time and actually stick to it. I kept all of those journals and pulled them out this morning to look at them. I was so organized, I labeled everyone when I finished it so I can go back and look at them in order. Here they are...

When I compare eTools to tracking by hand, the biggest difference is the ability to hold it in my hand and look through it. A lot of work went into these. Now, I'm not knocking eTools - this method works for many many people. And I tried it for quite awhile this time around, but I really think it's not for me. And I think that if I go back to the old fashioned way, it just may be that little something I need to help me get back into it. Back to basics.

I looked through journal #1 at what one day consiststed of food wise. There was no shortage of food. It was good for me and I don't remember being hungry. Here is what one day looked like, from the week I joined (and successfully lost 3 pounds in that week by staying on track).

At that time, I could have 22 points daily points. Under the new plan, I can have 29, and there are some days I can't make that work. Something to think about.

While we're at it, I fill you in on how I did that first time on WW. I joined on Jan. 14, 2006 and I weighed 156 pounds. I made my goal on June 17 when I hit 129.6 pounds. I set 130 as my goal weight that I wanted to maintain. I reached lifetime on August 5 weighing in at 128.4 pounds after 6 weeks of maintenance. I remember how great I felt, reaching that goal.

This time when I joined WW, I was 165.8 pounds. I have farther to go this time and it's harder. But I think if I get back to basics - and for me that means tracking by hand and having that actual journal to hold and write in and be able to go back and look at - I will do better. I *KNOW* I can do this, I can.

What do you do that works for you?