Ok, I feel somewhat better. I just came from my wellness class where they talk a lot about intuitive eating. I'm wondering if I can combine that with weight watchers? I like what the Lean and Free and what intuitive eating says about hunger---that is--if it's hunger then EAT. Duh. I've long known that if I only ate when I was hungry that I wouldn't have a weight problem.
On the old ww program I was often hungry. The claim is that this new program is different. Bet not. One thing IS interesting though--no calorie counting! I borrowed Jennifer's points calculator--you enter in protein, fiber, carbs, fats but no calories! That will be a refreshing change. Just for fun, here's what I discovered---sm. movie popcorn (14 pts), Chili's boneless buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing (31 pts), 1 slice great harvest bread--the good stuff (3 pts.), a snickers bar (8 pts), 1/2 pack of lime and chili almonds (5 pts).
Anyway--IF I do it. And I fear I probably will, the temptation to lose weight is just too great-- I am going to do this in a different way. If I'm hungry I WILL eat. I'll plan out 10-15 kinds of snacks in advance--some might be freebies anyway--like tomatoes and onions (I love that), some might have some points like a bowl of oatmeal or a slice of great harvest bread, but if I'm genuinely hungry, I'm going to give myself permission to eat even if it means going over points. I'll do it mostly online--the weekly meetings really bothered me last time, I respond better to print. I won't weigh in every week because I play mind games with the scale. I'll weigh in once a month. I might have to figure out some blow-out days--how frequent those will be, will depend on how much I need to rely on those extra points. I will also re-enroll in Overeater's anonymous and keep focusing on what I know are the real problems. I'll also keep up this blog. Also, I'll ramp up the exercise--I actually don't resent exercise--I don't necessarily like it, but I don't resent it. It's just hard to find the time to do it. I guess if I do it, I'll go into it with the idea of listening to myself far more than I listen to the program. I want the program to help me stop addictive behaviors--eating a lot just because it's habit, or because I think I have some "reason" to eat a lot. Some things to think about anyway.
Losing weight in spite of myself.
I began this blog in February 2011 as a way to help me not quit trying to lose weight, and to learn a few things. It's been an interesting and powerful experience. It certainly confirms what I've long suspected--that although I am a genuinely happy cheery person in the main, I am NOT a happy cheery dieter. I DETEST losing weight. I resent being overweight in the first place and I am a virtuoso in the art of self-sabotage. And YET--I'm doing it! I'm fighting and kicking and EATING all the way down, but the weight is finally going down. The plan I was following in February was a half-baked one largely based on wishful thinking. I gained a little weight and decided to get real. I knew I couldn't just join weightwatchers or count calories or do any one plan and expect to be successful. I decided if I was going to bother to make the effort to lose weight I was going to throw everything I could think of at the problem. And so I do. My real "Day One" for this blog is April 1, 2011. I joined weight watchers, I joined caloriecount.com (awesome website), I read the blog losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com religiously, I keep this blog faithfully, I joined the health programs sponsored by my insurance, I use the principles from overeater's anonymous, I use my church's 12 step program as well, I subscribe--and use--Healthy Cooking Magazine.
The result of all this? Painfully slow progress (About 20 lbs in 10 months). But it IS progress and like the little engine that could I keep on trying in my rebellious way. I have no intention of quitting. This is by far the longest sustained weight loss effort I've ever made in my life. Successful I think, because for the first in my life I've done this MY way--which I've discovered, involves a lot of pizza and restaraunt food. I'm convinced this is the only way to lose weight. For me it must be MY way. For you it MUST be YOUR way. Not weight watcher's way, not your doctor's way, but YOUR way. Any plan or idea I use is only a tool.
The latest plan to lose weight my way began on Oct 29, 2013. It really is my own crazy plan. As you'll see if you read that post. I've implemented the best ideas of all sorts of eating plans and thrown out the scale. A couple of months in and I'm definitely healthier. I'm actually enjoying myself. I won't weigh until April 1, 2014, so I'll see then if this works the way I hope it will.
There is no magic weight loss bullet. But there IS a great deal of magic in the discovery of what I can happily live with (very different from what weight watchers tells me I can happily live with) and still have the body and health I want.
Good luck to all of us on this journey. It's quite a trip!
The result of all this? Painfully slow progress (About 20 lbs in 10 months). But it IS progress and like the little engine that could I keep on trying in my rebellious way. I have no intention of quitting. This is by far the longest sustained weight loss effort I've ever made in my life. Successful I think, because for the first in my life I've done this MY way--which I've discovered, involves a lot of pizza and restaraunt food. I'm convinced this is the only way to lose weight. For me it must be MY way. For you it MUST be YOUR way. Not weight watcher's way, not your doctor's way, but YOUR way. Any plan or idea I use is only a tool.
The latest plan to lose weight my way began on Oct 29, 2013. It really is my own crazy plan. As you'll see if you read that post. I've implemented the best ideas of all sorts of eating plans and thrown out the scale. A couple of months in and I'm definitely healthier. I'm actually enjoying myself. I won't weigh until April 1, 2014, so I'll see then if this works the way I hope it will.
There is no magic weight loss bullet. But there IS a great deal of magic in the discovery of what I can happily live with (very different from what weight watchers tells me I can happily live with) and still have the body and health I want.
Good luck to all of us on this journey. It's quite a trip!
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