Bye Bye Truth Tuesdays ... Hello Face It Fridays!

Well, the time has come to finally change my weigh-in day! Truth Tuesday treated me well, but it is time to welcome Face It Friday to the game.

Tuesday was a great weigh-in day for me in Chicago. When I started Weight Watchers in November 2009, I was a Monday night weigher-in. Rough! I didn't really like night weigh-ins because I would eat/wear the same thing all day Monday to make it consistent and I had to watch how I was over the weekends.

So when my Monday night meeting closed, I made the switch to Tuesday night since my Monday night crew transferred over there and the Leader Lisa was AWESOME!!

Well unfortunately, I missed most of the meetings on Tuesday nights in 2010 because we would have a ton of games that night if the Cubs were home and if we were on the road - sometimes I was too. So my attendance in 2010 suffered from February-September and it showed on the scale. In 2010, as a whole I only lost 9.8 lbs - that means I did a lot of up and down during that time and a LOT of missed weigh-ins.

So in 2011 after chatting with a friend who had WW at work, I convinced the Cubs to offer the same program to employees. Okay, originally the plan was totally selfish so I could stay on plan, but it ended up benefiting my coworkers as well. :)

The at work meeting also ocurred on Tuesdays, but at 11/11:30am. Yay! That meant I only had to keep the morning consistent and the rest of the day could vary. I also started bringing in my pre-determined "weigh-in" outfit to change in to just before hitting the scale.

So the Tuesday weigh-in continued to be a success. Towards the end of my time in Chicago, I started weighing-in at 8am on Tuesdays. It happened one time when the office was closed thus cancelling our at work meeting for the week so I had to go somewhere else.

From that point on (December 27, 2011), I kept with the 8am weigh-in on Tuesday morning at a WW center then I would attend my regular at work WW meeting at 11:30.

But, as soon as I got to Boston, I realized there was no Tuesday morning meeting close to me or  even a WW store with open hours. So I had to come up with plan B. This was when I originally toyed with the Friday morning weigh-in idea, but I was stuck on Tuesdays.

So, for the past two months, I have been taking the train in to the Boston store, weighing in at 8am, taking the train back home and then attending my normal Tuesday 10am meeting.

I didn't mind it really, but it was getting to be a bit of a pain to commute all that way for what amounts to what a 45 second weigh-in.

Yes, obvious thing would be to loosen the reigns and change my weigh-in time ... but c'mon now - do we think my OCD tendencies could handle that? ;)

Plus, I just really like having my weigh-in in the morning. Get it out of the way and go about my day.

I thankfully know there is a 8am meeting near my house at the WW in Malden, where I can pop in and weigh-in anytime between 7:30 and 8am - right on my normal schedule and only 1 mile from my house. Win-win! :)

This concludes Part One of "Why I am switching to Friday weigh-ins?"

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Part Two of "Why I am switching to Friday weigh-in?" is easy ... I looked at my social calendar - I know, I have one of those now :P - and realized I was using a lot of my weekly points plus values Friday-Sunday. This wasn't boding well because sometimes I would use them during the week thinking I was banking enough for the weekends - only to realize by Saturday night - that I wasn't.

I think I would feel more comfortable going in to the weekend with all 49 weekly points plus values then being able to adjust the week (Monday-Thursday) accordingly. Plus, I am always more diligent during the week.

Also, after seeing the damage from the weekend, I have four days to kick up the activity before the weigh-in.

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As I was chatting with another Weight Watchers Leader in New York, Melanie, on Twitter. She reminded me how we need to mold the plan as our lives changes and what will help us succeed for the long term.

So that is what I am doing. Giving a new game plan a try to see if that helps me maintain the weight loss I have worked so hard for.

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How do you pick your weigh-in day? Has it changed as your journey progresses?

Truth Tuesday - 1.8 lb Gain

Yes folks you read that right. That would be almost a 2 lb gain in one week and I was shocked to say the least. This past week I thought I was pretty on plan and upped my activity to boot - even putting in a double workout on Sunday (Spin & 6.5 mile run). True, I wasn't the best tracker this week, but I didn't think one day of lazy tracking would result in this gain.

Now my good friend and coworker Alverson was trying his hardest to talk me off the proverbial ledge I had put myself on after seeing the number on the scale. Poor Alverson had to hear a slew of profanities come out of my mouth (I allowed this since there wasn't another soul in the store), but I was mad.

I DID NOT expect that.

Now, I went into my normal routine after unleashing my inner pissed off Weight Watchers member, who hates seeing a gain, and texted my normal crew and tweeted that I had gained.

Everyone was saying exactly what I would've told them in the same situation. People were saying things to me that I tell members. There are any number of reasons there could've been a gain.

Then my coworker, Tara, hit me with exactly what I was thinking and doing when I read her text ... "Look At Your Wrist!"

BAM! Perspective...

For me, my biggest anchor (topic of this week's WW meetings) is the tattoo on my right wrist. It is a Michangelo saying in Italian "Ancora Imparo," which means "I Am Still Learning."

Ugh, I hate when other people are right sometimes, but I gave myself props for having the same thought as Tara to look at my wrist.

I mean I put the words there permanently for a reason. To remind myself on a daily - hourly - minute by minute basis that..

I. AM. HUMAN.

I know this might come as a shock to some of you :P JK.

But, yes - I will make mistakes. I will have off weeks. I will have gains.

I am still new to maintenance/Lifetime so there is still some growing and tweaking I need to do.

So after I let the words sink in, I started nixing my negatives and started listing the positives of the past week because there were a lot. This past week had been a LOT of fun...

1) I led half of my first ever Weight Watchers meeting. Wow! What an amazing experience.

2) I got out for not one but three awesome PAINFREE runs.

3) I got to run with one of my best friends ... the 6 months pregnant one ... that set the pace for the run. Yes, I was showed up by the pregnant woman, but it was awesome. We hadn't run together since 2007.

4) I still weighed in within my weight range for Lifetime. I weighed in at 156.4 and my range is 153-157 so success.

5) I was finally able to meet some of the amazing people I follow on twitter and participate in a kick ass run on Sunday with some badass chicks - who all happen to be Weight Watchers Lifetime members as well.

6) I realized how freaking awesome my life is and the amazing opportunities that lie ahead for me.

7) I am allowing myself to truly enjoy what life has in store for me.

But the biggest one of all...

8) I was freakin' happy as all hell this past week. Slightly stressed, but in the end I couldn't ask to be in a better place.

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Then I thought about something else.

*Since I hit Goal on Jan 10, 2012, I have stayed within the 153-157 range. Wow!

*Since December, 27, 2011, I have been in the 150s. Shut the front door!

People these are things I NEVER thought would come out of my mouth.

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So yes folks, the moral of Truth Tuesday was a gain of 1.8, but when put in perspective of the non-scale victories of the past week.

The frustration with myself subsided and a sense of pride came over me ... and one giant smile!

Truth Tuesday - 0.4 lb Loss

It seems like too long since I last did a Truth Tuesday post ... last week I weighed in at home, but didn't do my official Weight Watchers weigh-in. I was determined this week to take off what I had gained. According to the home scale it was about 3 lbs of a gain (155.2 then 158.6 over a two week span). So last Monday I had recommitted to getting on plan ... that lasted three days before I went to Weight Watchers Leader training on Thursday. So Thursday, Friday, Saturday I tried to keep my eating in check, but I definitely did some stress eating. But, I also upped my activity all week long - even managing a 5.5 mile run on Wednesday and a 5 mile run on Friday morning. Woo! And that activity must've worked since this morning on the home scale I was down 4.2 lbs (158.6 to 154.4). Sah-weet!

So I headed in to Weight Watchers to get back on track with the official Truth Tuesday weigh-ins. Last time I was there (March 6) I was 155 (RIGHT at my goal weight) and today ... 154.6! Down 0.4 lbs. I will take it peeps. That is some good maintaining over the last three hectic weeks...

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Today: Loss 0.4

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 154.6

Total Lost: 62.8

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I am definitely happy with the results and proud to say today marks Day Three of being back on plan! I got back on track as soon as I woke up on Sunday, feeling refreshed and ready to reclaim control over my eating habits.

Another big relief is the lack of knee pain I have felt this week, which started with my 5k on Sunday, March 18. Including that race, I have run 13.6 painfree miles and hit up three Spin classes without knee problem. I am really hoping the injury, which plagued me since Hawaii in November is behind me.

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I will tell you all that getting back to the basics of measuring, weighing, tracking and listening to my body signals has helped me handle the last couple weeks. I have been "back on plan" for six of the last nine days. Yay! I am pretty darn proud of that!

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I also need to keep the booze in control. I can see when I have a little too much beer or wine the promiscuous eating comes out in full force, which leads to a bad next day - a mini domino effect. So I need to really show some self control with that and not slip in to old bad habits! Plus, I just hate how I feel when I go a little too far on the booze. I'm not 21 any more... :P

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Who else tackled the scale on Truth Tuesday today?

Truth Tuesday - NWI

Since I hit Lifetime last week, I only need to weigh in once a month so I didn't have a weigh-in this morning. HOWEVER, I think this is a bad thing for me. I need the accountability of facing the scale each week. If I know I don't have a weigh-in, I notice I let myself slide more than usual and we do NOT want that happening since I need to stay in the 153-157 range to still be considered Lifetime ... and to become a Leader. As I cheated and slacked all weekend on my eating (and somehow rationalized it to myself), I realized that I need to get back to attending weekly Weight Watchers meetings as a member. I have always found the meetings as a "me" time. I don't take a lot of time for myself - especially with my old job I just didn't have extra time - but I love devoting about 30-45 minutes a week to improving myself. Plus, while working, I catch bits and pieces of a meeting, but I don't get the added benefits of bouncing ideas around with other members.

Once I decided I had to get back to meetings - my last was January 17 in Chicago - I had to figure out a time and place. Thankfully with my schedule, I have more flexibility with choosing a meeting. I love my Tuesday 8am weigh-in and thankfully the Boston WW location is open for drop-in hours during that time so I can knock my weigh-in out then and attend a meeting whenever/wherever I want.

The other big decision to make was whether to attend the meeting of someone I know or to a complete stranger. I decided to go to a complete stranger so I could just feel like a member. Also, I wouldn't have to share that I was a WW employee unless I wanted to.

So after chatting with Elaine (my boss/Territory Manager), I decided to attend the Tuesday 10am meeting in Malden with Heather.

It was GREAT. It wasn't the normal WW crowd I am used to from Chicago or the Cubs, but the people were amazing. It was nice to sit back and really take in what Heather and the other members were saying. I also got to participate without anyone knowing who I was. I even got to finally celebrate hitting Lifetime in a meeting setting. That was fun and exactly what I imagined way back when when I started WW. :)

I was feeling so good after that nice 45 minute session of "me" time I hit up Costco and bought myself some beautiful roses ... and they were only $16! You know me - I like a good deal. ;)

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What do you have to share on this Truth Tuesday? Did you face the scale?

Truth Tuesday - LIFETIME

After I weighed in last week, all I could think about was hitting Lifetime today. I knew I had to be focused and stay on plan. I did that ... until Friday. Friday night I had plans to go out with friends and did my prep work. I looked at the restaurant's menu (Wagamama) and did the best I could to decipher the points since they don't have their nutrition facts on the site. I picked a good sesame chicken salad and some edamame. I figured it would be filling and yummy. I felt confident when I left the house on Friday and then... ... the entire plan went out the window!

The wife and I got to the restaurant early so we had a couple beers then I checked in to the bar on Foursquare and they offered us a half-priced appetizer. Yup! I fell for it hook line and sinker! So we split an app ... then since I had a couple beers what were a few more. Needless to say that night was not one of my finest eating moments.

Not sure this happens to other people, but once I have a bad night  - the whole next day turns in to a disaster.

So Friday and Saturday were horrible. All I kept thinking was I was putting myself in the wrong direction from Lifetime. So Sunday morning I got back on track and hit the gym for an awesome Spin class with Linds and Jen. Sunday night I still went a tad over points because my wife brought this garlic ciabatta bread in to the house to have with our spaghetti squash. But, overall I called Sunday a win in my book since I worked out and got all my healthy checks in.

Monday was right on point - I worked out, hit all WW Healthy Guidelines and stuck to 26 pts.

So that brings us to this morning. I got on the scale before heading to Spin and did NOT like what I saw. I saw a number that would put me out of reach of Lifetime. I made sure to give 150% during Spin and thankfully my friend Jess (the instructor) delivered with an awesome class. I got home and did my usual home weigh-in before the actual WW weigh-in. Well I saw a better number after Spin, but still not one that I liked.

But, you all know when I weigh in so there was no way I could skip out. I just had to face the music. My wife came with me for moral support and to act as photog if I hit Lifetime. I stepped on the scale and ... I took a deep breathe and prayed to see a number between 153-157 ...

I gained 0.6 lbs. That's it. Phew! That put me at 155.4 lbs - just 0.4 lbs over my goal weight - and in perfect position for LIFETIME!!

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Today: Gain 0.6

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 155.4

Total Lost: 62.0

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OMG! OMG! I did it. I honest and truly made it to the moment I dreamed about on November 2, 2009. The moment I thought would never be in my realm of possibility on that first night of Weight Watchers. But, you know what? I did do it. I stuck with it.

I MADE IT HAPPEN!

I love this smile and am happy it hasn't left my face yet today...

I told my Territory Manager Elaine that I wanted to create my own "Biggest Loser Finale" type moment when I hit Lifetime status. Thankfully she approved and that is how the above happened. :) I am wicked happy that I decided to go this route and bring my own confetti to the weigh-in.

Lifetime means more to me than hitting Goal. I proved to myself that I could maintain a weight within my goal weight for six weeks - even with a 1,000 mile move, career change and basically a complete change in my life.

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This morning really made me think back to this journey and how I don't even recognize the person I was when I first stepped in to my Weight Watchers meeting on November 2, 2009. I was a sad - lonely - unhappy - and scared person. I was able to put on quite a front to the outside world, but inside was a whole different person.

But now? Now I see the good. I see the happiness in life. I am proud of the person I have become. I am happy with the person I am now. I have shown myself - and others - that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I am stronger than I thought I was. I am a fighter. I am a success story.

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Today, I am living in the moment and enjoying all of my accomplishments. But, what will come tomorrow? Tomorrow I will continue to keep my eye on the new prize ... maintaining! Now that I have reached this milestone, I vow not to return to old habits. For me, this time - the weight loss will stick. There is no going back.

Thankfully, I have one incredible support system - in person, through social media and within my new Weight Watchers work family - that will continue to motivate and push me towards success.

I may falter. I may fall off the healthy lifestyle/Weight Watchers wagon at times ... but thankfully every one of you will be there to pick me back up and put me back on track. And for that, I thank you all. You have all touched my journey in a positive light and for that I am eternally grateful.

I am reminding myself today - and every day - that I am human. I am not perfect. But, picking myself up and never looking back, will allow me to keep succeeding.

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So today, I relish in my accomplishment. I will allow myself to flood in the compliments and love being thrown at me from all directions. I am bottling it all up to keep with me on the dark days. I am saying to myself...

Truth Tuesday - 0.2 lb Loss

Well this is the first Truth Tuesday in what feels like a looong time ... sorry for the delay people!! My last Chicago official WW weigh-in was January 17th and I was 154.2 lbs.

I then took three weeks off from weigh-ins because of the big change in my life of moving back to Boston from Chicago, which led to two weeks of goodbye parties, goodbye lunches, goodbye drinks and a 1,000 mile road trip.

I finally found time to do my first Boston official WW weigh-in on February 7th and I was 154.0 lbs.

PHEW!!

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Today: Loss 0.2

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 154.0

Total Lost: 63.4

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So thankfully that was my weigh-in for Week Four of maintenance and I am still 1 lb under my goal weight of 155 lbs. So now I just need to weigh-in between 153-157 lbs on February 14th and 21st and I will FINALLY hit Lifetime! Ahhh ... it is crazy to think I am so close to that dream! What a feeling that will be!!

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I finally took the plunge and broke out a new weigh-in outfit. Everyone told me it was time to retire the skirt that was three sizes too big. :P

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I can tell that my body is really loving the healthier lifestyle that comes along with Weight Watchers. I know I wrote the same thing after Hawaii and it is true. I had two weeks of goodbye parties/lunches/drinks and then a two-day 1,000 mile road trip and there was nothing "healthy" about that time. Lots of fried food, beer and old habits and man did I pay for it. My body was a wreck. It was craving fruits/vegetables/health!

Thankfully I made a decision that once we got to Boston I would be back on track and I have been. Today is Day 8 of being back on plan and my body feels AMAZING!! Each day I have gotten in at least 30 min of exercise (mostly walking due to my knee injury), completed the six healthy guidelines, done my #plankaday, drank at least 100oz of water and tracked everything. I feel motivated and back in control.

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How could I not feel motivated now that I am working for Weight Watchers and seeing such amazing members on a daily basis?

I have been with Weight Watchers for almost a week and I have loved every minute of it. All of my coworkers have been so friendly and helpful, which makes the transition easier.  :)

I will be sure to leave more info about the first week at work in it's own post...

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Did anyone else face the scale for Truth Tuesday?

Truth Tuesday - No Weigh-In

So I completely slept through my weigh-in this morning. I think the stress from moving/going away parties/Half Marathon on Saturday/etc caught up with me and I snoozed right through this morning's weigh-in. I started to freak out that it would affect by path for Lifetime, but thankfully you don't have to weigh in each of the six weeks - you just have to weigh in twice during the six week period - within two pounds of goal. Phew! So basically I need to get myself back on track when I hit Boston January 31 and be ready for the February 21 weigh-in to make Lifetime. I will get back to regularly weighing in when I get to Boston anyway. I like weighing in once a week. The accountability is huge for me ... plus it keeps me in check.

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I am also looking into a new Weigh-In outfit. The one I have been wearing is a simple white sleeveless shirt and a skirt. Well the skirt is a size 14 ... which is slightly big. Okay, huge! I can slip it on and off without unzipping it. :P I think I will kick off Boston weigh-ins in a brand new weigh-in outfit.

Do you all have something you wear each week to weigh-in or do you switch it up?

Truth Tuesday – 0.4 lb Gain

Since 2008, this last week is always the toughest in January for me. I am out of my comfort zone and in a hotel for almost the entire time. I had my weigh-in and hit goal Tuesday morning, that night I moved into the Hilton Chicago and I was there through Sunday afternoon. I tried to prepare myself as best as possible and brought snacks, my workout clothes and my blender with me. :) During this week I normally gain between 1-2 lbs since I end up imbibing too much wine which then results in eating too much food ... and hangovers. Which lead to basically another day of eating horribly. So Thursday-Sunday for me this week were horrendous. Just ugly foodwise.

I am proud of myself because I kept my workout streak alive and made it to the hotel gym each day for at least 30 min of activity. (small victory)

Since I wasn't home and used Monday as a get back on track and stay in the gym for an hour, I didn't weigh-in. I had NO idea what to expect. I just wanted to be under 157 (to stay on track for Lifetime). My home scale showed a 0.3 lb gain. Whhaaaa??? I went to my WW weigh-in and I gained just 0.4 lbs! Wow! I will take it...

Today: Gain 0.4

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 154.2

Total Lost: 63.2

I am still under my goal weight (155) by 0.8 lbs heading into Week Two of maintenance!

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I am upset with myself for not having better control of my snacking and drinking, but I accepted what happened and have moved on.

These next five weeks are crucial in my journey to Lifetime. I am ready to get back on the horse - which I did yesterday. It felt wicked good to eat on plan and hit all my healthy checks. I just felt normal - even after one day. :)

The really tough stretch is the next two weeks as we prepare to move to Boston. This week alone we are going to a Blackhawks game and two Going Away parties. I am going to devise and plan and stick to it. I am going to increase my activity, as well as, bring snacks whenever possible.

But, the main thing is - I will not beat myself up over anything. This is the last time I will see many of these people for awhile and I want to enjoy the time we spend together.

I will make sure to really keep the wine and beer in check. I don't like the hungover feeling - I mean who does (but this week I had two hangovers in three days - my first since early October). But it really messes up my eating schedule the next day, as well as, my workout schedule. And frankly, it's not worth it. Time to reign that in.

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Today was also our final WW at work meeting. It was extremely emotional for me. I didn't outwardly cry, especially we had such a good time laughing during the meeting. But, inside I was sad to see the time end. Not just for me, but also my coworkers. They have all done so well. As a group since April, we lost 325 lbs. Woo! How freakin' great is that!!

I really hope they can get 20 interested people in order to restart the group in April. I am keeping everything crossed for them...

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I am so proud of all my participants in the #100ozchallenge. I cannot believe over 35 people have joined in to my challenge. I am even thinking of maybe having a prize or something down the road. That would be cool right?

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Did anyone else face the scale for Truth Tuesday today?

Truth Tuesday – 4.2 lb Loss & GOAL!!

Well folks, I was really hoping for at least a 0.6 lb weight loss this week since I was at 59.4 lbs gone last week and I wanted to hit that lovely round # of 60 gone. I tracked everything this week - even when I let my guard down Friday and just enjoyed my goodbye dinner with my friend, I still wrote down everything I had - so I was hoping for a good loss. Also, despite being sick, I worked out at least 60 min every day. I liked the # I saw on the home scale this morning so I was hoping the Weight Watchers scale would be as nice, but you know what? It was EVEN better!! I lost 4.2 lbs this week for a total of 63.6 lbs gone ... and that means I passed my goal weight by 1.2 lbs!! :)

Today: Lost 4.2

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 153.8

Total Lost: 63.6

Pounds From New Goal: NONE!! :)

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It is absolutely crazy to actually be at goal - like real goal not the fake goal I set before. Haha. I will not be changing the goal weight again ... for now ;) Haha. :P

It is surreal to see that I am at goal. I mean it is time to transition the brain from losing weight to maintaining. That starts by changing my daily allotment of points from 27 to 32. What will I do with those extra points? I told my Leader an extra glass of wine each night. ;)

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Since getting back from my honeymoon and starting my Dynamic December and Jammin' January challenges, which includes #back2basics, #30for60 and my #30daychip, I have lost 14.4 lbs!! Wow!

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I really want to thank each and every one of you that has traveled on this journey with me. Many times a day I just stop and think how truly lucky I am.

I really am proud of myself for sticking with this process. So many times I wanted to just stop and just eat everything in sight, but I knew I didn't need to do that. I didn't need to turn to food in emotional times. I could, and would, heading out for a run instead or putting in some time at the gym. Those endorphins can really do wonders.

I think I am still in so much shock that I can't even put into words what I am feeling. I am excited. I am thrilled. I am proud. I am nervous. I am anxious. I am fearful. But really? I am happy.

Isn't that all that matters?

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Truth Tuesday – 1.2 lb Loss

This week I didn't weigh-in at home once, which is sooo unlike me, but things kept getting in the way of my 8am weigh-in time. This led to me going into today's weigh-in pretty blindly. I weighed in at home at 7am and was down 1.5 lbs from last week. Okay! I would be happy with anything over a 1lb loss (even though I was internally wanting a 1.8 lb loss so I could hit 60 lbs gone) because it would be a loss. I headed to my new 8am weigh-in at my future Weight Watchers meeting and was pleasantly told of a 1.2 lb loss! Yay!! I am just 0.6 lbs from the 60 lb weight loss mark...

Today: Lost 1.2

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 158.0

Total Lost: 59.4

Pounds From New Goal: 3.0

I am hoping to hit the 60 lb weight loss mark next week, but will be happy with any loss on the scale.

I don't have too much new to report today since I did a LOT of blog posting this weekend as you can all see.

I am hoping to just keep taking each day one at a time and keep getting back to basics!!

But, for today? I Believe In Me! :)