Weight Watchers Diary – Lifestyle Challenge Week 9

We have a few weeks left until Christmas, and I’m starting to struggle. I stayed the same this week, so I was a little disheartened. I need to refocus on my overall goal, why am I in Weight Watchers, the main reason I joined is to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. I am turning 30 in a few weeks and I want to start my 30’s healthily with better low-fat cooking methods and being more educated when it comes to food. I want to keep up doing exercise and taking more on, so far I have seen a 10lb loss, which is only 4lbs away from 1 stone. My weight loss is slow but it’s consistent, so it should stay off forever. In class this week we learned not to give up and although we are not losing weight on the scales our leader advised us to measure ourselves because even though the scales have shown no weight loss, a measuring tape may reveal that you have lost some inches on your stomach or hips or arm, etc. I try not to lose ambition and determination at this stage, it is also important to remember the overall goal, sometimes we have bad weeks and this is normal but just start over and get back into it.  I still have my dress behind the door, hopefully I’ll fit into it for Christmas. I find that tracking is best thing to keep you focused. I use the Weight Watchers shopping book as well as the calculator. All these tools help me to stay focused and give me accurate ProPoints so there is no cheating. I also find that planning ahead is key. It is so important to be surrounded by the correct food, for example; if there is a pack of biscuits in the house I will eat them. It also helps that Sarah, Warren, and Laura are taking this journey with me so we can all help each other. I have also started to cycle more in the evening and give the car a break which also adds to weight loss and healthy lifestyle. I find I am eating better and enjoying it, I still have a glass of wine and some chocolate but I ProPoint it and don't overdo it, I feel better about myself and I'm making better choices that will help me in the future to lead a healthier life. Height: 5:5 Starting weight: 15 stone Planned weight loss: 2 stone Weight loss to date: 10lbs     Warren Barry This week’s class was one I could particularly relate to, non-scale victories. They include improved health benefits, improved well-being, improved fitness and a reduction in your size. Basically non-scale victories are all of the above benefits that do not include actual weight loss. I have noticed a pattern over the last 9 weeks. I follow the ProPoints plan, I exercise, I drop weight one week and the next week there is little change although nothing has personally changed in terms of following the ProPoints plan or the amount of exercise I have completed. However, in this week’s class Gwen spoke about non-scale victories which are something I definitely relate to. Being physical fitter, dropping inches and fitting into clothes that I couldn't wear 9 weeks ago are the motivation that I find myself drawing on when I have been exercising 6 days a week and tracking my ProPoints and following the plan. These non-scale victories are equally as important and are directly linked with my weight loss over the last 9 weeks, I have definitely noticed a major difference in my fitness levels as I have exercised a lot more than I previously was doing. I have commuted on my bike four days a week and gone to the gym 3 days a week and went walking at the weekend. When I look back on where I started off I can cycle 20km a day with little effort, which was not something I could say 9 weeks ago. The other major non-scale victory I am finding is dropping size. In hindsight taking general body measurements 9 weeks ago would have been a great objective assessment had I done so at the beginning. However, regrettably, I did not do this, the only way I can assess this is how clothes fit and in this regard I am finding that I can wear jeans I could not have worn and some of my clothes are now far too big for me. When I look at these results it’s fairly easy to stay on track, as I know I am making progress even If I am not dropping weight. Height: 5'9 Starting weight: 15 stone 3 Planned weight loss: 1 stone Weight loss to date: 10.5lbs    Laura Kavanagh Christmas parties are coming closer, eight weeks to be precise! People are already thinking about the holidays, Christmas parties and family dos – dresses are hanging on the door in anticipation! Since joining Weight Watchers I’ve be working hard to do more exercise (I joined a bootcamp class) and doing additional activities like going for walks and treks to the Glendalough and Three Rock. My non-scale victories to date are that I feel more energized and fitter. My incentive is to get out my LBD that’s just a little too tight and not the most flattering for my Christmas parties. With four pounds to lose to be down a dress size, I’m looking forward to getting fitter and toning up and continuing my journey towards success. I’ve realized over the last number of weeks if you keep motivated, the more likely it is your scales victories will follow too. Height: 5:3 Starting weight: 11 lbs stone Planned weight loss: 1 stone Weight loss to date: 6 lbs   Sarah Moore This week’s class was focused mainly on non scale-related victories, meaning that other factors play a role in weight loss, not just the numbers that appear on the scale each week. This is something I think is quite important as sometimes relying on just the numbers can leave you feeling quite despondent. A couple of weeks ago, you may remember that I put on four pounds in one week. To me this was quite disheartening because I’d been feeling ok before the weigh-in and during that week I had been noticing that my clothes were fitting better, etc. I think the non-scale victories are more important for me personally. Of course it’s great to see the numbers on the scale decreasing but I’m more inclined to judge by my clothes or my fitness. I think over the past few weeks my fitness level has increased a little. This is obviously helped by the fact that I’m doing more that I was previously but it also has to do with the drop in my weight. As it’s getting colder I’ve been switching my lunchtime wraps to soup. Having soup generally lowers the amount of ProPoints you will consume at lunch so you have to be wary that you don’t under eat and not use all your ProPoints. I became a victim of this and it’s not a nice feeling, also we need the nourishment. I think the baking season has come upon people now that the evenings are getting darker a lot earlier because there has been some amount of cakes and deliciousness brought into the office over the past week or so. I find it a little easier to say no now than I did before, especially when you feel like you are about to hit the ‘4 o’clock slump’ time. A few weeks back Gwen told us to either buy something new in a smaller size or root around in our wardrobes and take out something that we couldn’t fit into and hang it somewhere that we could see it every day. This serves as a visual reminder of where we want to get to. I didn’t have to buy something new, I just found something that wasn’t exactly flattering on me and I am using this as my reminder. My weight loss this week of 2.5 pounds was a nice little boost. I’m now on a scale victory of -9pounds. Keep in mind all the non-scale victories / little things that you notice over time. These are just as important Height: 5'7 Starting weight: 13.5 stone Planned weight loss: 1.5 stone Weight loss to date: 9 lbs   Check back on these pages weekly for regular updates from the foursome, and if you want to find out more about Weight Watchers classes in your area, you can do so here.