A litte background info: I'd tried my hand at the South Beach diet this spring, and by mid June I was down to about 260 lbs, but then I got lazy, got busy, and generally stuffed myself silly with all manner of tasty things, plus a fair amount of cocktails and wine. Before I knew it, BAM! I was up twenty pounds and weighing in at 281.
Not cool.
Not okay.
I was basicly back to my highest weight ever. So, I got back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon, and took all of the good things I'd learned from South Beach with me. Lots of whole grains. Lots of veggies. Very little refined sugar and alcohol. I got my ass to the gym, and dropped 10 lbs by Christmas. I overindulged and gained back about 4lbs, which brought me up to New Years and where we started my fabulous blog. *grins*
Now, I LOVE to eat, which is part of how I get myself into trouble. I also love to cook, and I'm reasonably good at it, and getting better. As I mentioned in my bio, I watch WAY too much of the Food Network, but it really has helped me hone my cooking skills. I feel like I'm more creative in the kitchen, and more likely to try new things. The challenge for me this year is to learn to cook wonderful, tasty food that's also good for me. I won't settle for less than great flavors. One of my goals this year is to add one new dish per week to my repetoir, whether it's someone else's recipe, or my own creation.
Starting on Monday the 2nd I was back on track with Weight Watchers. I don't do meetings. I track all of my food and activity on the website, and on my iPhone. I love the program, and as long as I stick to it and excercise I lose weight. It's a no brainer for me as long as I stick to it.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the way that the Weight Watchers program works, all foods are given a point value based on a formula that takes into account an item's fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. The more wholesome a product is, the lower the point. For instance, an egg is 2 points. A cup of fat free milk is two points. butter and oil is about 4 points per Tbsp. A cup of white rice or pasta is about 5 points. A single serving bag of chips is about 6 points.
You get a daily point budget which is based on your weight and your activity level at work. I sit on my ass at a desk all day, so I'll get fewer points than someone who's running around waiting tables at a restaurant. You also get a weekly point allowance which you can use as you see fit, or not. You can earn extra points for activity which you can then use or not as you see fit. For example: Walking on a treadmill at an incline for an hour earns me about 8 points. Generally, when you don't use up your freebies, you lose weight faster. As you lose weight, your daily point allowance is reduced because a smaller person needs fewer calories to maintain or lose weight. Currently I get a daily point allowance of 43, and a weekly allowance of 49.
Got it? Good!
One other awesome thing is that most fruits and veggies are free. The idea is to encourage you to eat things that are good for you, and fill up on those. Nobody is going to get fat filling up on a plate of steamed broccoli. I like WW because I can eat what I want within reason. When I fill up on healthy foods I'm not hungry, and I don't feel like I'm depriving myself. I usually eat pretty healthy when I'm on program, and if I want to have the occasional treat or go out for drinks with friends, I can do that, as long as I stay within my point budget.
This weekend, my roommate cooked some of the most wonderful Mexican food I've ever had. Simple, delicious, and not exactly healthy. But it was so good! LOL! Saturday night was (deep fried) cheese chile rellenos, potato gratin with poblano peppers, refried beans, and mexican rice, all drizzled with crema, and two different kinds of salsa and homemade guacamole. Sunday morning was huevos rancheros with chorizo spiced potatos and the leftovers from the night before. (You can read about all the evil deliciousness and learn how to make it yourself on his blog here:
http://vegyourself.blogspot.com/2012/01/mexican-brunch-or-how-to-get-hammered.html
Chile Rellenos - 37 points and worth every single one!
Yes, after all of that I went to the gym!
So, back to the first week of January. The long and the short of it is that I busted my ass and dropped most of my holiday week weight. I stuck to my points, and kept my hands off all of my weekly points, and most of the 76 excercise points I earned. (76! Booyah!) I went to the gym five days in a row, Tuesday-Saturday, and then cleaned my house for most of Sunday afternoon. (I earn points for housework too! Yay)
I ate a ton of fruits and veggies, and I'm developing a few veggie stir fry recipes. My standard dinner lately has been a big pan full of veggies like green beans, broccoli, baby bok choy, eggplant, brussels sprouts, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Usually not all at the same time. I stir fry them all up with a little Pam spray (little to no other oil) and serve alongside a cup of pasta in a very light sauce. Sometimes I top it all with a little herbed feta or parmesan.
Baby bok choy and musrooms sauteed with garlic in coconut oil, in a sauce of tamari and white wine vinegar with rice and nutritional yeast. 9 points of tasy healthy goodness!
And... now I'm hungry. LOL!
All in all, I'm really proud of how I did this last week. I'm being honest with myself that I won't always have weeks like this. I may not always get to the gym as often, but I intend to go at least three days a week. I will also try my damndest to stay within my points, and I'm going to try to keep my hands off my extras.
So, that's week one. Stay tuned for next weeks adventures.
Weeks down: 1
Weeks to go: 51
Starting weight: 271.5
current weight: 271.5
2012 goal: 219.5
Current BMI 40.00
Started WW on 11/28, @ 281.5 lbs
Total loss: 10 lbs
