I almost didn’t write a weigh-in update this month. Why bother, right?
The thing is, the first part of the month was actually pretty OK. It was the last part of the month when things went to shit, and I felt like I’d lost any and all progress I’d made. Overall, with the awesomeness of the first half and the suckiness of the second half, August averaged out to be… not quite a wash… maybe an improvement with a hiccup?
Non-Scale Victories:
First weekend of August: While visiting in Dayton, I photographed all my meals for later tracking. Granted, I didn’t actually record all of them later, but the act of photographing them made me stop and think. Also, when we hit up the frozen custard joint, I only got a single scoop of vanilla, and I shared it with my son.
Monday 8/7: A former Weight Watcher said to me in the elevator at work, “You sure are doing good with the Weight Watchers thing, aren’t you?” I’m actually up about ten pounds over the past year, but I just smiled and accepted the compliment.
Wednesday 8/9: I left a little bibimbap (Korean rice dish) in my bowl once I was full.
Friday 8/11: I stuck to fruit salad for dinner. I thought about other options, but I kept to my plan by dreaming of being in Mexico for Spring Break wearing a two-piece bathing suit.
Saturday 8/12: I didn’t eat my son’s leftover piece of toast.
About halfway through the month, I started getting disenfranchised with the Weight Watchers At Work meetings. The leader has been letting her woo-woo shine through a bit more lately, and I am very much not a woo-woo person. I don’t believe that people who have Near-Death Experiences actually see the afterlife, for example, and I certainly don’t believe that “joy is incompatible with disease.”
I understand that the current WW program focuses “Beyond the Scale” on improving habits and thought patterns and whatnot. I’m fine with that. I’m not fine with pseudoscience and misinformation. I’m also not fine with the fact that our current leader never gives out Bravo stickers (yes, I get a dopamine hit from getting an attagirl, even if it’s a shiny star sticker), and that she prefers to present and lecture rather than engender discussion amongst members. It’s just not my style. It’s not what I need right now. If I’m going to be there, I’d like to feel like my nine years of Weight Watchers experience might be helpful and meaningful to someone who’s just starting; without active discussion, that’s not an option.
So, I’ve started weighing in, going back to my desk to eat lunch, and then going for a walk outside. I can say without a doubt that more activity is definitely on the list of Things I Need — and getting some sunshine and Vitamin D, too.
I saw that there’s a WW Open House scheduled for next week, where members are encouraged to bring in their favorite foods and snacks to share with potential new members. That meeting is one I think I can and should attend, even if it means I don’t hit my weekly activity/exercise goal.
I’m trying to keep myself in the right mindset. I’ve got a standing weekly goal of weighing in below my monthly median weight — or, better yet, at a new monthly minimum. I have some rewards in mind, like sushi lunch, new clothes, new shoes, and allowing myself to take a vacation day (because I have three to use before November). I have pictures of my new two-piece swimsuit posted in strategic places (by my computer at work, on the fridge at home) to remind me that I want to feel comfortable in my skin (and my suit) come Spring Break. I’ve set some Black-and-White goals, like tracking every meal and including protein in every meal.
I just really want this turnaround to happen. I’m done with this slow and steady gain, and I’m ready to get back down to where I was before Thanksgiving last year… and to keep moving toward my Goal.