I'm ready to go public
 

Hey y'all,

I joined Weight Watchers again on 4/20 and I also started a blog (something I never thought I'd do). All my weight loss feelings and whatnot are in there, the ups and the downs. I even include my actual weight :o. No more shame cuz this is TEMPORARY!!! :D I just wanted to share with my fellow 'weight watchers.' I talk about what I do well and what I need to work on. And I'm honest. If I binge, I say I binged. I include each week's weigh in, too. I'm going to start including my measurements, since I keep track of those, too.

http://moniquesfantasticvoyage.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! :)

I didn't feel like reading through 23 pages of tips and advice just to give my 2 cents so hopefully if it has been said then my advice will just be a reinforcement.

Earlier this year I began the Discovery National Body Challenge and gained bookos of recipes and a free 8 week pass to Bally's. Five months later I'm 25 pounds lighter and so much healthier. Although the challenge is over I can offer up some advice that I'm still using to continue to reach my goals. I will say one of the best things to start off with is to UP your water intake. Folks said it already but water definitely flushes you out (the bad foods too) and fills you up. Second tip would be to eliminate fast foods. As hard as it may be the quick meals are often times the worst ones. (You can look for grilled options and make your own requests at the speaker if you just can't give 'em up.) Third and most important GET MOVING. A friend from another site challenged me to start small by moving 15 minutes a day for one week, 30 minutes the next week, and 45 minutes the last. Just moving a little a day to start off will get you wanting to do more when you see results. Also remember that a healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. Hope this helps!!

Im not going to the gym as much as I'd like to be, but I have lost some weight. I'd say about 10 lbs. A lot of that, I think was due to the fact that I have significantly cut my soda intake. I stopped drinking sodas for Lent, and haven't really picked the habit back up yet. :)

Now if I can start drinking some water, I'd be good.

Aw, Hayle!
 

I missed the challenge! :mad:

However, I'm checking in to say that I decided two years ago that I needed a change. A few weeks after my post here in 2004, my job had a very public event with the state. After working like a dog for days (we had very little lead time to get things ready), I was advised the day before that I had been designated to stay in the office and answer the phones. That morning only one call came in. I missed not only the event but lunch afterward, and I might have gotten over had it never been mentioned again. But no -- it made several local stations, several newspapers in English and Spanish. No one will ever confirm this, but I think my weighing 320 pounds at the time had a lot to do with it.

I plugged along for about eight months getting more exercise (I was already a Curves member and gained 10 pounds the first year. I prepaid a year at a time and have become much more disciplined about getting it in). After losing only 12 pounds during this time, my job finally got enough people for Weight Watchers to do an At-Work program. That lasted only six months, but I found a meeting near home, and I have lost about 63 pounds since starting WW.

So far I am 76 pounds down and am pushing toward One-derland by the end of the year (45 to go) and meeting my personal goal by the end of 2007.

I will be 35 in 2008 and I want to be HOT!

After rereading all the posts, but I strongly advise rewarding yourself after every few pounds lost (10, 15, etc.) Mine are as follows:

25 lbs -- Night of Dancing (I never officially did this, but my husband took me to a Donna Summer concert last August. If you're in NYC/North Jersey, PM me!)

50 lbs -- Sex & the City Season 6 DVDs (I will get around to watching them someday!)

75 lbs -- cute dress (I bought this dress in a 20 (biggest size available) and it fit! Still can't believe it!)

100 lbs -- glamour pics to put around my house. The only photo I have up now is my wedding portrait, and it just ain't getting it.

125 lbs -- diamond earrings. I had some but I lost one at our Finer Womanhood Observance last year.

150 lbs or goal -- HUGE LV bag! I'm going to the mall and I'm paying cash!

Best wishes to all!

just a little update
 

So I'm in my 9th week with WW and I'm down 17.2lbs! :D I'm SO close to ONEderland it's not even funny! I'm hoping at this week's weigh-in I'll be there. But I have more news: I saw my collar bone in a picture today!!!! I didn't even know until today that I wasn't usually able to see it, but when I looked at a picture of myself, I noticed it IMMEDIATELY!!! I'm doing something right!!! FINALLY!!!

I'm so proud of me, I just had to share!!!

:D

Congrats!!!!!
 

Congrats to you Soror! That is ONE-derful news!!!!

Wipin' my eyes...
 

Darn, I am so moved by this thread! I broke down yesterday because I feel like losing weight is not in my future. My sister and mom went to TX and bought me an outfit, and they had to stress how hard it was for them to find an outfit that would work for my figure since I'm overweight. That mess hurts so badly! :(

I am ready to be happy, free, and confident. I definitely want to join in on the GC Challenge. Ideal, your testimony is so uplifting.

Babyblue, your testimony is tear jerking! I feel like I have about fifty pounds to lose, and weight loss surgery is the quick fix. I don't want to go that route. I feel so encouraged.

Let's do this!! :D

:) Congrats To You! :)

I had to jump back on the wagon. I have gotten out of control. I am on South Beach, Phase I, Day 4. I am just trying to hang in for at least 6 more days.

Girl, we have ALL felt like it wasn't in our future, but the truth is, WE control what we eat. And we control how active we are. Make little steps: cut out a little of this and add a little of that. Get a pedometer and start walking. Park far away in parking lots instead of trying to find the best spot. Don't buy what you know you shouldn't eat. That way those things become treats that you have to go out of your way to buy. And buy those treats in single serving sizes or don't buy them at all. Work on changing a little at a time, and before you know it, you will have made a LOT of changes and you will see results! Even if they are little results, they are SO motivating for you to continue to improve on whatever you're doing.

I think the most important thing is NO MATTER WHAT, DON'T QUIT. If you binge and gain 5lbs, so what? Start over THE SAME DAY (never say I'll start tomorrow) and keep it moving. Don't feel like a failure or feel like you'll never succeed. We all fall, but we have to get up and keep walkin'. I think when we binge or whatever, we do an emotional number on ourselves and feel like we'll never be able to eat right and we'll always be lazy and what difference does it make cuz our men like us "thick." Then we get discouraged and to make ourselves feel better, we eat. Sick cycle that we have GOT to stop. And for me, it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. But the important thing is, I'm doing it. And there are days that I HATE it. I HATE all the skinny people that can eat what they want. I HATE all the people who actually exercise for fun. I just hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. But I think to myself what the end will be and I suck it up and do what I need to do. My goal is ALWAYS on my mind.

And don't be a slave to the scale. Take your measurements and keep track of them. Watch how your clothes fit. Weigh yourself no more than once a week.

Journal, not just your feelings but also what you eat every day, what time you eat it, and how you felt when you ate it. Pay attention to when you're on your period, the week before, and the week after and notice how your eating habits change. And know that nothing happens overnight. Give yourself time to develop new habits. Tomorrow I will start week 10 of WW and I have lifted weights MAYBE once. And I didn't really lift, I used my resistance bands. I've worked my abs less than 10 times. But I'm still working on making those things habits. Somethings take a little longer than others. I'll get it together.

For me, it's the greatest thing EVER to make a commitment to myself that I'm actually KEEPING. I've been overweight (technically, I'm obese) since 1993. I've lost and gained and lost and gained. But this time is different. I can actually SEE then end. And I'm paying attention to the LITTLE things, not just what the scale says. Like I saw my collar bone in a picture yesterday and almost lost my mind! LOL!

The best motivation for me? To be able to say to ALL the naysayers: YEAH, I DID IT!!!!!

You can do this, girl!!! :D Sorry if I rambled, but I'm hoping that there is something I said that will keep you encouraged. PM me if you need to (anyone, I could talk about this all day and all night cuz I'm slightly obsessed and I'm ok with that :))!

Soror Exquisite5 and ZetaStorm,

THANK YOU!!!!

:)

Tonight is my weigh-in. I'll let y'all know if I'm in ONEderland! And if I AM, oh ho ho, IT'S ON!!!!! Celebrate good times, come on!

And you CAN do it. Ladies there is also a forum similar to the Proboards called Sistahs on WW. It's a GREAT support system for folks like me who don't have that immediate system around them. They have monthly challenges, quicky challenges, recipes, fitness and diet tips galore. Even if your NOT on Weight Watchers they don't discriminate. Come join us over there! You must submit an e-mail to the admin to be given a password but once you get over it's all GOOD. I have the same name over there if you want to send me a message.. If you're interested here's the link. Also be aware that is a positive board and frequent posting (10/month) is REQUIRED. Join us! http://sistahsonww.suddenlaunch.com/index.cgi

I just started SB phase 1 on on Friday! The first day was rough, but I love it, I dont feel deprived.

Way to go Ideal, and congrats on taking the first step to a new and healthier you. Ask CT4 that is like my mantra:p ....The book you have on your blog The me I knew I could be is exactly. I got it about 4 years ago when I first lost weight and I look through it every so often just to keep me grounded. what helped me was knowing this that is a lifestyle change and not a diet, and that has helped me to maintain my weight loss. Since you said that you joined WW something that may be helpful to you is to log onto their site and read some of the success stories...and read the WW Canada as well...the success stories help to see that you are not alone in this, and it keeps you motivated, well it doe3s me anyway....but one thinbg that I found that I must do to keep the weight off besides changing my eating habits is to exercise, even when you don't want to, you have to push yourslef, so now when I miss a day I feel like I missed out on something. I put in 5 days a week, and do about 70 minutes on Saturday, but only 40 mins Sun-Wed...Thursday and and Friday are my off days...but you have to do it. So if you ever need an sounding board hit me up KLL@prodigy.net....and continue towards your goal.:D

Thanks, Kim!! :) I will DEFINITELY be using you as a sounding board! I have been str8 slacking on the exercise in the past week. Still walking a lot, but not for exercise, so I'm not getting more than 10K steps. My pedometer broke, so I have to get a new one. That little thing really does motivate me to walk more.