Roni’s Weight Watchen Page(s) - Take 2 (the rebuild)

Seems like you have been doing a great job working out, but why haven't you been weighing in???? As far as I can tell, it's been 2 months since you hopped on the scale.
-Joyce

Funny you should ask that today! I was planning a post about this very topic for a a while now. Let me start at the beginning and by the end (I think) I'll answer that question.

In my teens and my early 20s I would say I was obsessed with my body more then I was obsessed with my weight. Sounds funny, doesn't it? But really, I wasn't a scale obsessed girl. I was conscious that I was a overweight and I didn't like the body I was in but I don't remember hopping on the scale every day. I don't even remember having one. I weighed in at doctors appointments and when I saw scales in my friends bathrooms.

Then in my mid 20s I started to become more scale aware. I bought my own. I weighed all the time and I really let if affect my mood. This was my crash diet phase. I was educating myself on diet and nutrition yet making unhealthy choices purely to change the number on the scale. When the number didn't behave the way I wanted then I'd get depressed, eat more, get mad, starve myself and there you have it, the making of a classic yo-yo dieter.

My next scale phase started when I joined Weight Watchers. I loved the idea of having an “official” weigh in on their scales. It's was like I was reporting to someone and that motivated me. Like I had something to prove to them and to their scale.

I started the Flex plan and something clicked. The plan seemed easy, logical and perfect for me. The scale started to go down and I was getting excited. So excited I started weighing myself every day. Many people may not agree but this helped me, immensely. I started to learn how my body reacted to certain foods. I saw the scale go up when I ate processed foods and I watched it go down when drank my water and made my own meals. This is what I call my domino phase. One good choice would lead to the next, and the next and I could measure the results on the scale.

This daily weighing lasted over 2 years. Some may say I was obsessed but I really wasn't. At least I don't think I was. I didn't depend on the scale to tell me how my day was going, or let it affect my mood. If the number went up I was motivated to make healthier choices (not starve myself) and if it went down it made me smile and reinforced I was moving in the right direction.

Once I made goal and entered into maintenance I continued to weigh every day. Still gathering information about my body and learning about myself. By this point the habit of waking up, peeing and hopping on the scale was so ingrained in my morning routine I'd thought I'd do it forever. The scale wasn't what I turned to measure my success it was another tool in my weight maintenance arsenal. Just like my food scale, my meal journal and my blog!

Now, well, now I'm can feel myself returning to scale indifference. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not falling off the wagon. I'm just evaluating myself using different means. Since starting my workout routines, weight lifting and now running I noticed my body is behaving differently then I expected. What I learned about myself and my weight while losing is not necessarily true now. The scale may go up when I'm doing well because I'm building muscle or recovering from a workout. And guess what? That's OK. The weight watchen' thing is so much more then a number on the scale for me now. It's how I look, how my clothes fit and most importantly how I feel.

So, yes, I haven't weight in for about a month (I actually have one weigh in I didn't post yet-can we say busy? WOW). It's not that I'm never planning on weighing in again but I'd thought since my schedule has been so insane and I couldn't make meetings anyway I'd use this time to “test” myself. Could I walk away from the scale, away from points, trust myself to eat healthy, to workout and to just live an active life without scale worry? Could I be one of those people. Those people who just seem to do the right things naturally?

I do plan on weighing in “officially” at Weight Watchers on Wednesday. It's my favorite meeting, with my favorite leader (the one who I lost most of my weight with). Now that I don't have classes my schedule (should) ease a bit. I guess I'll find out how my little experiment has gone then. But honestly, whatever that scale says on wednesday, I know I've been doing really well. I feel great and (if I do say so myself - this is hard) I look great!

I hope this answers your question, Joyce. I know my scale habits aren't for everyone and you may totally disagree with my philosophies. So in an effort to get everyone's opinion on this I ask... (I probably should save this for a question of the week but, what the heck)

How do you weigh in? What are your scale habits?

Labels: askRoni, insights, WeeklyQuestions

Allison submitted an Ask Roni question about this not too long ago and I agreed that it would make a great question of the week! So here goes...

I think we are “trained” at a young age that food is a fun reward and we use eating as the main way to celebrate big events. How many times have we heard, “If you're good we'll get some ice cream” or “If we win the big game well go out for pizza” how about, “it's your birthday, let's bake cupcakes!” I'm guilty of this myself, recently bribing the toddler with a piece of chocolate if he goes on the potty. There is just something special about an editable treat!

Now I'm not saying we can't/shouldn't celebrate with food and I don't think we should outlaw birthday cakes anytime soon. But overall, I think we need to break the food/reward connection in our brains. There are other ways to celebrate and sometimes food really isn't an appropriate choice.

Case in point... How many times have you wanted to celebrate a weight loss success with food? Have you said to yourself, when I reach x-number of pounds I'm going to have a slice of pizza? or when I get into those 8's I'll celebrate with some hagen daaz.

Come on... I can't be the only one, can I? Admit it, you've done it TOO! (please admit it)

To help break the food/reward connection I ask this weeks question in hopes of coming up with a great non-food list of rewards and celebration ideas for everyone. Soooo here goes...

How do you reward yourself?

Me? Well I have a massage waiting for me when I climb that darn rock wall! I was so close tonight I think next week may be the week! (those that don't know what the heck I'm talking about check out my goals)

Some of my other rewards include...

• buying a new piece of clothing to help celebrate a size,
• taking a sick day to spend with the toddler. (taking a sick day to spend with myself) ;~P, and
• facials!

How about you? How do you reward yourself?

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

This weeks question is the direct result of my pizza incident yesterday. Although I've been considering this topic for awhile.

I think there are a few different reasons why we eat. That sounds stupid, but really let's things about what situations cause us to put food in our mouth.

We are actually hungry

This is a given, of course. And I think we really know when our bodies need food. Stomach growling, low energy, emptness.

Celebration

Let's see, it's someone's birthday... we eat cake. Graduation? More cake. Anniversary? Go out to dinner. Holiday? Forgettabout. It seems that an easy way to celebrate any event involves food.

Bored

Yup, sometimes there is just thing else to do but eat.

Peer Pressure

I'm eating so you should be too!

Sad/Depressed

Food comforts a lot of us.

Smells

Ohhh we've all done it. The smell of bread from a bakery or my personal demon, Cinnabon!

I could go on and on. It's seems we may turn to food for many reasons besides just being hungry.

For me stress definitely causes overeating. I used to think I was an “emotional” eater but when I really look back at times I shove food in my mouth it's normally at times I'm feeling overwhelmed, overworked, under appreciated and overall stressed out! For example I find myself shoving bread in my mouth when the toddler is acting up at a restaurant or scoffing down pizza when I have just too many tasks on my plate. I truly think this is the last hurdle I need to overcome.

So how about you? What causes you to eat? Or overeat for that matter.

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

Travel with me back in time, will you? (I seem to be doing this more and more the older I get.)

The date is July 27, 2005, just a few days after my 29th birthday. I have a 6 week old baby boy. I’m 191 lbs, embarking on yet another weight loss attempt. I've been attending Weight Watcher meetings and I start a small web site to track my progress.

One of the first things I do on this new site is post an image of my virtual model. Click here to read my old posts from the first year!

So I used a 3D model to do it, some people may use old photos of themselves or maybe even a picture of an outfit they really want to wear. There's also a new online tool at WeightView.com where you can upload one of your own photos and Weight View will show you what you may look like after losing 20lbs. Pretty cool!

As always this long winded intro brings me this weeks question(s). First do you think visualizing weight loss is important and if so, how do you do it?

P.S. Posting this link brought me back and I ended up reading all of my old journal entries. I had tears streaming down my face, My gosh! I’m such a sap.

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

I can’t take credit for this question as I know there was a meme going around awhile back asking bloggers to write a letter to their younger selves. Like, if you went back in time what would say to the high school version of you? I thought it was an interesting activity but I didn’t have time to participate then, so I’m stealing the idea for this weeks question and changing it up a bit. Instead of a letter, I want us to think about 5 specific things we would tell ourselves if we could go back in time.

They don’t all have to be weight related but I think we’ll discover even the non-weight issues are relevant to self-esteem, confidence, body image and a host of other things that may manufacture themselves as “weight issues”.

So travel back in time with me.

The year is 1991 (HOLY CRAP) I was 15, wearing my cuffed jeans, hot pink BUM wind breaker, listening to Def Leppard and Boyz II Men. Don’t believe me? Look at this… (Sorry Jen - Don't Kill me :~P)

The sad thing is, I was already “dieting”, not happy with my body and envious of my skinny friends. Notice I was hiding myself in the picture, that’s a pretty common theme in my old photos starting at about age 12.

What do I tell myself?

• Stop being so preoccupied with your body. You are young, fit, active and beautiful (that was really hard for me to type) Love who YOU are and stop comparing yourself to others, it’s not worth it, life is too short.
• Wear clothes that FIT YOU!! I know you don’t believe it but baggy is not better and it makes you look much bigger then you are.
• Stick to the salads at McDonald’s! (I worked at MickeyD’s for 5 years and ate WAY to many quarter pounders on my lunch breaks)
• HAVE FUN! Life is too short to miss out on things because you are worried what you look like. Throw that bathing suit on, get in the ocean and SWIM! Enjoy it now before you are running after a 2 year old on the beach
• Don’t wait until your junior year of college to take a computer class. Get into it early, you have a knack and one day you’ll make a career out of making web sites. Oh! you don’t know what a web site is, don’t worry you will soon enough. :~)

Your turn. :~)

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

I almost forgot about this weeks question! I can't believe it. I normally look forward to it but I've been so distracted by new new MAC! ;~P

A-n-y-w-a-y (I'm feeling a bit goofy tonight, please forgive the over the top voice inflections that are going through my head.)

Chatting with my friend Anne today, we came up with this question. It's actually something I've wanted to ask for awhile as I know many people are curious. I mean, really how do you pick a goal weight? Is it something you weighed before and want to get back to? Or a weight you heard is a good number for your height? Maybe it's goal your doctor recommended?

For me, it was a number I've never seen, at least not in this adult body. I remember clearly the day I found out I weighed 150 pounds I was 13 years old. I'm not going to go into all the hairy details, I talk about it a bit in My Story but let's just say that was the start of my 15 year yo you dieting fiasco.

So when I had to pick a goal weight for Weight Watchers I thought about that 150 and how I would LOVE to be that “chubby” girl once again. Then I thought, “heeey, w-a-i-t a min-ute (see... crazy voice inflections – think Mater in Cars) wouldn't it be cool to see a 4 on the scale. I've never seen a 4 on the scale!” And so my goal weight was born!

Not as scientific or magical as you thought? Hey, I'm still shocked I not only saw a 4 on the scale, but for some times I was in the 3's!

How about you? How'd you pick THE number?

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

Are you ready?

I might catch some slack for this weeks question(s) but I don’t care. I need to ask not only you but also myself.

It’s a simple yet complex question,  “Are you ready?”

Are you ready to live a healthier lifestyle?
Are you ready to make the harder choices that lifestyle may entail?
Are you ready to plan, think, prepare, shop, and not just grab a donut on the way to work?
Are you ready to shut off the TV and go outside for a walk?
Are you ready to seek out the staircase instead of taking the elevator?
Are you ready to admit to yourself you eat too much?
Are you ready to tell yourself hunger is not an emergency or an excuse?
Are you ready to face your feelings instead of shoving them down with a slice of pizza?
Are you ready to stop trying to do it all and get more sleep?
Are you ready to try new foods you’ve dismissed because you “don’t eat vegetables”?
Are you ready to love yourself NOW, unconditionally?
Are you ready to be the example, the motivator, the exception to the rule?

I really could go on and on.  My point with this question is to get us thinking, really thinking about what it takes lose weight and keep it off. It’s not easy for everyone. Everything seems to be working against us. It’s easier to take the elevator then the stairs. It’s easier to say yes to the daily office danish then pack your own snack. It’s easier to run through a drive through then go home and cook dinner. I’m not saying you can never do the easy things again, but overall you have to make the harder choices. You have to be READY to make the harder choices.

So I ask…

Are you Ready?

And if so…

What are you ready to do?

P.S.I came up with this question this morning in the shower. Today there were at least 3 "hard" choices I had to make where I asked myself this question. It helped immensely and got me running on the treadmill, skipping the cookie at work, and deciding to make dinner instead of taking the toddler to Wendy's. That's why I decided to ask tonight.

Add on: I just asked myself again and avoided that before bed snack I've been getting used to. I am ready. :~)

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

I can’t take credit for this weeks question idea.  I was in the mood for a more lighthearted topic. I mean it is April Fools, right? So while sifting through my email, I came across Suzan’s question.  It just made me chuckle (sorry if you didn’t mean it that way Suzan).

Roni
Do you think the invention of spandex was a diet disaster? I do. It is SO easy to buy a medium and stretch and stretch to the point one does not realize if they have gained weight or not. The clothes just keep on stretching.

I threw away ALL my pants with spandex and only wear pants with a button and zipper.  Believe it or not it really keeps me conscientious of my body and  happy  I’m not stretching pants to the max.

What do you think? Throw them away??

So this weeks big question is… Do you wear Spandex? Or do you agree with Suzan.

Me? Well I honestly, I have a few pairs for the gym.  LOL but I’m in a pair of jeans just about everyday.

Labels: askRoni, WeeklyQuestions

I’ve been thinking of writing a post about the worst dieting mishaps I personally tried and failed with but I decided to turn it into a question of the week. I truly believe we learn from our mistakes and boy have I made some doozies… 

Skipping breakfast after a “binge”

This is tough for me. If I eat too much one night then it’s just natural for me to want skip my next meal. Big mistake, huge. Then I get too hungry by lunch and totally pig out. By dinner I have the “oh, well, the day’s already ruined” attitude and eat 4-5 slices of pizza and the cycle continues.

Thinking I can drink my meals.

Yeah, this never works, I don’t care if the shake has 1000 calories in it, I’m not satisfied so I end up eating anyway.

Popping a pill to control hunger. 

I confess I did this, on more then one occasion. It’s a short term solution that isn’t teaching you how to read your own body signals. Don’t even bother.

Excluding one type of food.

Ummm yea, then I just want it more and I totally binge on it after a few months, weeks or even days.  I tried this a few times with pizza, it just doesn’t work.  Now I make my own or allow myself to have a slice or two.

So it’s time to fess up.  Share your own disasters so others can learn from our mistakes. I’m sure we can get a great (bad) list going.

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

The toddler is responsible for inspiring this weeks question. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, not because of the food but because I have made it routine for us to wake up and prepare something healthy every morning.  It’s a non-negotiable mommy/toddler time in the kitchen and today the toddler had his own idea on how he wanted to start the day.

Now, I think we all know how important breakfast is for overall health and weight loss. Don’t we?  Just in case, here’s a really good write up.

I’ve noticed since starting this journey I really only have a handful of breakfast ideas that I tend to put into rotation. Some may think they would get bored eating the same things over and over but on the contrary having a few “go to’s” takes any pressure off of deciding what to have on busy mornings.  It’s like my own personal menu.

My morning options include Whole Grain Pancakes, eggs, oatmeal (like Apple Pie Oatmeal or Creamy Berry Oatmeal), high fiber cereal with fresh fruit and Whole Wheat Banana Muffins.  Actually, now that I write them out I had more options then I realized.

There are days when I literally have no time (I’m sure you can relate) and on those days I normally grab a piece of fruit and a lite yogurt or granola bar to eat in the car.

No matter what I never leave without eating or bringing something for the car.

So how about you? What do you eat for breakfast?

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

This Question of the week is inspired by the long awaited Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! That’s right people, I did it, I finally did it! I sucked it up and threw it out there.

I learned a LONG time ago that I couldn’t stop eating my favorite foods if I was to be successful at losing weight. So I turned to creating or finding healthier, lighter alternatives. For example, I replaced chips with soy crisps, ice cream with frozen yogurt, American cheese with Laughing Cow and now, fast food pizza with my own homemade. Just think of the amount of calories and fat I save. Plus think of the health benefits of less salt, more fiber, whole grains, more veggies and overall just knowing what I’m putting into my body!

So how do you incorporate your favorites? Have you made substitutions? Do you still splurge but eat less? Inquiring minds want to know!

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

This weeks question(s) were inspired by a few separate events that, some how, my brain collided together into the concept of preparedness.

Bear with me as I try to make sense of this all...

1. A few days ago I got an email asking my opinion on prepackaged food diets like Medifast or Chefs Diet . My reaction is, well, of YES you will lose weight on those plans because it’s portion controlled and someone is doing all the preparing for you. I’m sure you would lose weight if you just ate Lean Cuisines or Healthy Choice dinners for each meal and nothing else. The problem is it’s not a long term solution for most people because we can’t afford to buy the meals forever and then when we return to our old habits, well, you know (you especially know if you have yo-yo’ed as I have). [Note: I’m not saying anything is WRONG with prepackaged meals, I ate Lean Cuisines/ Healthy Choice meals for lunches all the time while losing – I’ve just learned how to make my own now—see below]
2. The second event was yesurday’s episode of Oprah. Leaving work early, I got a chance to catch it and I was ecstatic to find Dr. Oz was on.  He is one of my favorite Oprah “soldiers”. Anyway, they were discussing food and how important a roll it plays in our health, physical and mental. They discussed how bad the average American diet is and how we can cure many of ailments by eat healthier. What does “healthier” mean? Well, fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains, of course! All the things that are hard to eat if we aren’t prepared.
3. The last event was analyzing my own food journals. It has been comforting for me to track the last two days. I’ve been eating all my own home cooked meals, and fresh fruits and I feel GREAT! But I wouldn't be able to do it unless I was prepared.

Somehow, these three things got me thinking about being prepared (ok, well now that I wrote them out it doesn't seem that big of a jump). There is no doubt that preparedness is one of the biggest keys to weight loss. Have you every gotten really hungry and had no healthy options? UGH! It’s the worst! I normally end up ordering in or going out and NOT making the best choices.  

So am I prepared? YES!

How do I get prepared? Well, every weekend I hit the grocery store. Sometimes it’s Aldi’s and sometimes the wholesale club but every weekend I’m definitely making a food run. I spend most of my time in the produce department, stocking up on the fresh fruits and veggies. Then I move to the lean meats. I buy anything on sale, bulk if I need to, and freeze it. I restock any whole grain noodles, brown rice etc. and any pantry items like spices or soy sauce. I also pick up my whole grain bread products and dairy, milk and yogurts.

It sounds like a lot but actually the produce is probably about 70% and everything else I don’t buy weekly (besides yogurt and milk).

What do I do with all this food? Well, I cook meals for the family.  I then take the leftovers for lunches and freeze them in these plastic containers. This way I can eat my own home cooked meals for lunch at work. It really is a time (and money) saver. Plus, on average, my meals have less sodium, less calories and, well, I know EXACTLY what's in them.

I need to say, it took me a long time to get into this grove. When I started Weight Watchers I did buy prepackages meals to bring to work. My grocery bills were a bit higher back then and I did waste a bit of produce before I started figuring out the optimal items and amounts to buy for the three of us. Everything is a journey and a learning process, including grocery shopping, pantry stocking and cooking. However, being prepared is an invaluable tool in your weigh loss arsenal.

So how about you? Are you prepared? How do you get prepared?

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

Ok, this weekly question is getting pulled directly from my week. MAN this bug has thrown me for a loop this week!  I didn’t feel much like eating during the day but when I did it wasn’t anything healthy. I haven’t been drinking as much water as I should. I just feel BLAH!  

Now I’m stuck in that limbo between not feeling quite 100% but having to get back to everything I’ve been ignoring for the past few days.  I HATE getting sick! I haven’t worked out, my diet is a wreck, I’m not sleeping well and work in just piling up.  

I miss my routine, as hectic as it is.  I miss eating breakfast with the toddler, squishing the gym in when I can, brining my lunch to work, having good healthy food stocked up in the house, cooking dinner, I miss my motivation!
 
So how do you do it? Ho do you get back into a routine? After an illness, or a vacation, or just a bad week. 

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

This week's question was inspired by a meme swizzlepop posted a few weeks ago. It was called The “I LOVE ME” List and I’ve been meaning to post my responses but MAN I just don’t have any time (I’ve also been meaning to post about 3 food finds, respond to the bazillion messages in my inbox and visit my some of my favorite blogs, but I digress). So instead, I took the concept and simply ask, what it is you LOVE about your body?

I think we all (especially women) spend way too much time criticizing ourselves. Personally, I spent 15 years not happy in my own skin. Not swimming with friends because I didn’t want to wear a bathing suit, not dancing at weddings because I didn’t like the way I looked in my dress, not buying clothes that fit because I wanted to hide under oversized jeans and t-shirts.  Some of you may think “yeah, well, it’s easier for you now to be confident, you lost the weight”. But I’m here to tell you it was the opposite. First, I learned how to love myself, then I started to lose weight.

Something happened to me after I had “the toddler”. I realized how beautiful, valuable and important my body really is. I remember hiking with a friend and wearing a tank top about month after giving birth. Now, I would NEVER be caught dead without sleeves, NEVER.  Geesh, I even spent months looking for a long sleeve wedding dress! And here I was 200lbs, carrying my newborn in a sling and hiking with a friend. I didn’t care my arms weren’t “model” thin. I was out living life, enjoying myself and keeping cool (it was a HOT day and who wants to wear sleeves on a hot day anyway?)

The point I’m trying to make (not sure if I’m doing a good job of it) is that I had a defining moment where I realized it’s not worth it to be unhappy about my body. I had to accept myself for me at THAT moment if I was to grow and continue on my journey. It wasn’t easy (I think we established that ;~P). It took a lot of mental coaching and positive self talk. Yes, I actually have looked in the mirror and said, “This is you, DEAL WITH IT!” while wearing something I normally wouldn’t be caught dead in, like a tank top!

So my answer to this simple question is so much more then a particular body part (although I’ve always liked my neck – weird, I know) what I love about my body is that it is healthy, strong, and has the ability to change. I love that my body has grown and nurtured a life. And I love that my body allows me to enjoy life to the fullest, I know not everyone is that lucky.

Your turn... :~)

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

Time for another Question of the Week.  For this one, I’m responding to the discussion that got started on 6 On the Go Snacks I Can't Live Without. The comments got me thinking how much artificial sweeteners I use and with the latest news maybe it’s something we should all assess.

If I really think about my intake, besides my daily light yogurt I really don’t use much. I don’t drink diet soda, I don’t drink coffee sweetened with anything and when I bake I try to stick with honey, molasses or other natural sweeteners.

As with everything I believe in moderation. I don’t want to be depended on anything and I don’t want put a lot of junk in my body, However, if I have a sugar free cookie or a diet soda now and then for a treat I don’t think it’s the end of the world.

How about you? How much Artificial Sweetener do you use? Do you make an effort to avoid it or seek it out as a high calorie substitute?

I also have a quick side question, only because I need to know if I’m the only big sap. Does anyone else cry watching American Idol?  LOL Seriously, when they are good and make it through, I’m so happy for them I get a tear. I’m such a freak.

Labels: WeeklyQuestions

Every week I find myself responding to a lot questions ranging from the personal to generic, the detailed to the broad, the serious to the cute. As I answer each of these questions and formulate a response I started to realize my answers are not only beneficial to the asker but to me as well! They require me to perform a level of self analysis that is helpful on my journey. Sometime the pause to ponder something we may not have considered can point us in a new direction that can be beneficial.

This is the inspiration for a new weekly feature on my blog. I’m planning a weekly question to help you (and consequentially others who may be reading) on your weight loss/maintenance journeys. Feel free to add your answer and insights in the comments or post your response on your blog if you have one (be sure to place the link to your response in the comments so people can find you).  

So the first question may seem simple but it’s one we must ask ourselves as we embark on a journey to lose weight. For years my answer to the question, “Why do you want to lose weight?” was to be “Skinny”.  I wanted to be skinny for as long as I can remember but just wanting to be skinny wasn’t motivation enough to lose weight. In all honestly my wanting to be skinny probably caused me to be fat.  

It wasn’t until I realized it was more then just being skinny, it was about being healthy and happy with myself. My answer to this question changed in June 2005 when I gave birth to my son. All of a sudden being skinny seemed secondary. I wanted to be healthy, confident and a good example for him. I wanted to be an active mom who wasn’t afraid to run in the ocean or build sand castles on the beach because I was so insecure in my skin. My reason for wanting to lose weight changed and consequently so did my success!

So I ask you,  Why do you want to lose weight?

Labels: WeeklyQuestions