Face It Friday: A Loss & Getting Back To What Worked
/What today isn't Friday? No I can read a calendar I know it's Saturday. I actually wanted to wait to share this post until the plans I had on Saturday morning happened. :) I wanted to share about them and their importance to my journey.
I awoke Friday morning to my normal alarm: "You are more than a number."
Seriously I had no idea how much changing my Friday morning alarm on my phone would impact the frame of mind I went into weigh-in with.
The scale is just one way to measure my journey. The number can change within a day or within a week! Thanks Mother Nature! ;)
Going in reminding myself I am defined by more than what that scale says allows me to take a little bit of the emotional attachment I have to the number out of the picture. I wish it was more than a little bit, but that is on the list of things I am working on. Aren't we all?
I did a bad thing this week. I broke my own rule. I weighed in outside of weigh-in day. Now there are some people that can weigh-in daily and it doesn't mess with their psyche. Bravo to you people. I am not one of them. Daily weigh-ins definitely played into my eating disorders in the past so I put the end to that when I started WW. Well something came over me this week and I checked in on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The scale went up between Wednesday and Thursday despite me doing the same thing each day. Immediately I was angry inside. It was the reminder I needed that I am not one that can do the daily weigh-in. Even though the rational side of me knows about the natural fluctuation throughout the week, etc. I've said it to myself and Weight Watchers members countless times. So I learned my lesson and once again will stop that!
Since I had peaked, I expected a loss on the scale and was happy to see one.
For those seeing a discrepancy in my overall weight loss. I started WW when I was 217.4, but I mark my overall weight loss from my highest (roughly 235). That is why my WW totals will always be less than the overall weight loss I go by.
1.1 lbs to be exact!
Yay! Even with the early weigh-in last week and Thanksgiving thrown in there I was able to see a loss.
This past week I really focused on keeping my streaks alive. I love this "Simple Habits" app that I have. It really is nothing more than a list, but it really plays into how my brain works. :)
Screenshot from thursday night (since my ww week starts on Friday)
I can't stress enough how tracking impacts my journey. When I am not tracking, I am not honest with myself. You would think after being on Weight Watchers for over six years, I would be okay with not tracking by now. But I am not. And that's okay. It is just what my mind needs to stay focused.
Since the app was a bit wonky this week (as it got ready for the new program launching tomorrow, Dec 6), I actually went back to good old pen and paper to plan my day. Each morning I would get a post-it note out, put the day of the week, add my DPT (Daily Points Target) 28, write out the staples of my day and then piece together a plan for the rest of the day. This served as my outline and I was able to keep it close by on my work laptop as I went through my day. Whenever I ate something I would check it off. While each day wasn't right on target, it gave me much more structure than if I was trying to wing it.
I also asked myself: "Is this worth it?" over and over again. Just keeping my goals in the front of my mind.
The wife and I have also been cooking more at home, which is helping with Points and our budget. Win-win, right? On Friday night, we wanted to order Chinese so instead we (okay okay SHE) made Hungry Girl's Orange Chicken. My plate came to 12 pts total (7 for 1/2 serving of chicken, 5 for 1 cup of brown rice, 0 for green beans). Soooo yummy! It used to be staple in our menu and is now back!
Additionally, accountability is back in my life. As I mentioned before I am not able to find a WW meeting that I am comfortable attending so I have found an awesome plan B.
Justin and Heather are both WW success stories and people I am lucky to call friends. For the past three weeks, we have been texting, Facebooking and checking in with each other and our journeys. We have been getting together on a Saturday for a run and coffee date (if possible).
This morning was one of those mornings. :) Heather and I set out for 10 miles in preparation of our half next week and met Justin at Dunkins for a catch-up session. Just like in my meeting room, we go into this talk judgement free and full of support.
We each recapped our last week - what worked and what didn't - and set an intention for the upcoming week. It's exactly what I have needed and since we formed this group, I'm down 5.7 lbs. :)
Now I still have 17 lbs to go to be back at goal. But focusing on that number is frustrating. I pledged this week to focus my energy on getting to the next decade (160s), which is 2 lbs away.
This means it's time to bring back this old classic. During my weight loss journey, I was known for writing a "pounds loss goal" on my hand as motivation. Since I am right handed, I see it every time I grab for any food or beverage so it is a constant reminder of what I am working towards. I made sure to make it something attainable so it would be motivating rather than demoralizing. You can make it as small or as large as you want. If you are worried about other people seeing it, make it smaller or use a lighter color ink. Whatever works for you that will keep you connected.
So this week I focus on "2" and keeping connected to my WHY!
How do you stay connected to your journey/goal?
