Fragalicious

It's another fragalicious Friday. Little bits and bobs, to borrow a phrase from the Brits in honor of the royal wedding, floating around in my brain.

Bit: I hosting a Vera Bradley tote bag giveaway. If you're a Vera fan or you just want a great bag to carry library books in, be sure to check it out. The winner will be announced on Monday.

Bob: Coverage of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton begins in just 3 hours. Maybe I should just stay up? Will you watch?


Bit: Today was the last Weight Watcher meeting in this at-work series. I ended on a good note, losing 2 pounds since last week. I'm going to try to keep the momentum going. Especially after reading this inspiring guest post from Annie Weighs.

Bob: Speaking of momentum, Charlie's class is having it's roller coaster exhibition in the morning. I got a sneak peek of several of the coasters -- lots of very fun ideas!

Bit: Mike was uploading some videos for me tonight and was a bit frustrated because I had shot some of it sideways. He said "You are not allowed to be this technologically impaired and still be married to me." I wonder if that was an offer or an ultimatum?

Bob: My blog makeover is well underway. I can't wait to get it uploaded. It's a great, fresh new look!

Bit: Even more exciting than a blog makeover, Mike has a job interview next week. Prayers appreciated.

Bob: Annie leaves on her 8th grade class trip on Monday. I think I might be a little verklempt sending her off and only partially because she'll be leaving me surrounded by testosterone for 5 days. Prayers appreciated for this, too.

That's all the bits and bobs I've got this week. For more fragalicious Friday fun, be sure to visit Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments post.

The anniversary of the moment

Today one of my friends from the blogosphere is celebrating a very happy anniversary. It's not the day she was married. It's not her child's birthday. It's not the date on which she got her first tattoo (I don't even know if she has a tattoo.)

My friend Annie is celebrating her 1 year Weight Watchers anniversary. In that one year, she has lost a whopping 80 pounds and 75-1/2 inches! See for yourself:

In honor of the occasion, I thought I'd let Annie take over and tell you how she got started.

Since Amy often blogs about The Biggest Loser and I write a weight-loss blog, I thought I'd keep that theme going here. Amy often writes about her weight-loss struggles so I know her readers can relate to her. Hopefully y'all can relate to me, too! 

I've struggled with my weight pretty much all of my adult life. I gained a little while in college, gained a little more after I got married, got A LOT more after we moved to Oklahoma (can we say emotional eater?) and then even more after having my son. My son just turned five years old.  

I tried the South Beach diet for about five minutes and knew it wasn't for me. No carbs?! Yeah, right. I have a great love for all things bread, pasta, pizza, cakes, cookies...etc....you get the picture. 

I tried Weight Watchers Online, by myself, with a little luck, but it didn't stick. Then, one day, something clicked. I had prayed about it for well over a year, and something finally just clicked. I was ready to lose weight once and for all. I don't know how to describe it, but I woke up singing that Michael Jackson song, "Man in the Mirror" and it starts out "I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life...". 

I was ready. Ready to make a change and I haven't looked back. It has been 12 months and as I'm writing this I've now lost 80 pounds. Crazy!!! Weight Watchers, going to the meetings, works. I'm not writing today to talk all about how much I've lost or how much I love WW (I really do, though!). I'm here to talk about that moment of readiness. 

So many people start "diets" and then end up giving up. Why? Because they weren't really ready. They may know that they need to lose weight, but something was holding them back before they even got started. 

Do you need to lose weight? What is holding you back? Think about it. I bet there are so many reasons and excuses why you're not starting today. A birthday celebration coming up, vacation, weddings, graduations, hesitation to being judged at a meeting, stress at work....whatever it is, there is always something. Yes, there is ALWAYS going to be something to hold you back. It is far too easy to give into those reasons and make up more excuses as to why you haven't started. 

Is there a perfect time? No. It is that simple, there is no perfect time to start a weight-loss journey. 

I started on April 29th, 2010. What was special about that day? When I woke up that day, there was absolutely nothing special about it. When I went to bed that night, it had become the day that was going to start the rest of my life. That was totally cheesy, I know, but it is so true! 

But this isn't just about the weight I've lost. More importantly, I have gained self-respect, energy, better sleep, happiness that I didn't know was missing to begin with, and a happier family because of it, and deeper faith as I fully rely on God to get my through tough times on this journey. 

Are you ready? Fight through those reasons and excuses, pray about it, do whatever it takes to finally get ready and that moment will come to you as long as you're open to it. 

Are you ready to be healthier? Are you ready to be happier? I would love to hear about your moment!

Annie

Congratulations Annie! I am really so thrilled for you (and a wee bit jealous). If you want to keep following Annie's journey, be sure to visit her at www.annieweighsblog.blogspot.com.

Facing the fat

Today was the day that I decided to face the fat. I hadn't been to Weight Watchers since May 19. Of course I kept paying for the membership, thinking that I was going to go "this week," "next Tuesday," "after work." I knew that my weight was up. That was easy to tell by the way my clothes were fitting and by the few times I was brave enough to step, ever so briefly, on my bathroom scale.

But I need the accountability of weighing in to someone else. Standing on my own bathroom scale, I can rationalize that my weight must be affected by the time of day, the amount of clothes I'm wearing, the imprecise nature of the Target-bought scale. The official Weight Watchers scale, though, I never argue with. It is what it is and I take it seriously. So I knew to get myself back on track, I had to go submit to the scale.

If you've ever been on a weight loss program where you have to go in and weigh in front of someone else, you know that it's not a simple as getting in the car and getting on the scale. First there is the pre-grooming.

I took a shower and made sure to shave my legs, you know, because all that hairy stubble might weigh a quarter of an ounce or so. When I got out of the shower, I took extra time to dry my hair, lest any water left in my tresses should add weight to the scale. Wearing glasses and jewelry, is of course, totally out of the question. Do you know how heavy a pair of earrings can be? (I do make an exception for my wedding ring. But if I had a 3 carat rock, it would totally be left behind before the weigh-in.)

Once all the grooming is done, then it's time to get dressed. Generally, my rule of thumb is "as little and as light" as possible. But today, I had to think about that. If I wore something a bit heavier, maybe jean shorts, then I could more likely post an impressive loss next week by wearing cotton shorts and a t-shirt. That could be pretty motivating. However, if I did that, I would rationalize whatever gain I might show today, blaming it all on the clothes. So I opted for a pair of knit shorts and a cotton t-shirt.

No need for breakfast because every person whose ever been on a diet...excuse me, a "lifestyle change," knows one of the cardinal rules of weigh-ins is that you don't eat or drink anything before you step on the scale. One last trip to the bathroom (weigh-ins call for the emptiest bladder possible), and I was out the door.

On the drive over to the meeting, I mulled over all of the excuses I might offer for what I anticipated to be a 9 or 10-pound gain. We were on vacation (so what if it was just 24 hours in Southern Indiana). The kids are home and there's more food in the house. My routine is broken so there is no time to get to the gym (never mind the fact that Denzel is collecting cobwebs in my basement).

The nice lady behind the desk didn't ask for any excuses and I saved her from having to tell me I gained by forewarning her that I was anticipating a sharp increase. She smiled and handed me my weigh-in booklet. I didn't let myself look at it until I was sitting in the classroom, waiting for the meeting to start.

Up 6.6 pounds. Now all you skinny-never-had-a-weight-problem people out there are probably gasping. But those of you who've been where I am likely understand when I say I was actually pleased that I only gained 6.6 pounds. Not that I want to keep up the trend of gaining 1.1 pounds a week (the exact opposite would be great), but I was expecting worse.

I faced the fat and survived. I can move ahead with renewed determination...right after I get something to eat. I didn't eat breakfast and I'm starving.

Special

Today as I was waiting for my Chocolate Extreme Blizzard at Dairy Queen (it was my lunch, honestly), I was googling Weight Watchers on my new iPhone. Well, isn't that special?

At one of our recent counseling sessions, the therapist that Mike & I have been working with invited her supervisor to join our session. Though she swears it's not because she thinks we are a primo example of dysfunctional, I'm not convinced. Well, isn't that special?

A few days ago, I overheard Charlie ask Robbie if he wanted to play "pregnant." Worried about what that could mean, I stuck my head in the room and watched as the each laid back on their backs, put their feet in the air against the other's feet and pushed forward with their feet, wailing and moaning as they did. Guess someone's watched too much "A Baby Story" on TLC. Well, isn't that special?

Last week I was wearing a sleeveless top under a cardigan sweater. It was kind of warm, so I ended up taking the cardigan off and just going sleeveless...in a meeting with my boss, talking to other moms in the parking lot at school pick up. It was only on the way home with Annie sitting next to me as I raised my arm to tuck my hair behind my ear -- something I do a lot and I'm sure I did on several occasions that day...in a meeting with my boss, in the parking lot at school pick up -- that I realized (ok, Annie shriekingly discovered) that it had been a LONG time since I'd shaved my armpits. Well, isn't that special?

What kind of specialness has found its way into your life lately?

I am NOT the Biggest Loser.

About a month ago, I joined Weight Watchers. I figured, thirteenth time's the charm, right? Anyway, after today's weigh-in, I knew I just had to come tell you about my progress. In four weeks' time, I have lost...drumroll, please...

0.4 pounds! That's right. Almost a half a pound in four weeks!

Actually, the first week I lost 3.2 pounds. I was pretty pleased with myself because I hadn't actually followed any particular plan. I didn't write down what I ate. I didn't count any points or measure cups of pasta.

"I am practicing mindful eating," I told myself. And it worked to the tune of 3.2 pounds.

The next week, I didn't weigh in because the kids were on Fall Break. Mike took them to see his parents and I stayed behind to catch up on work and to rid the house of the "Goodwill store just exploded" look.

And I mindfully ate things like a hot Italian sub sandwich chased by two big chocolate chip cookies; a sausage and banana pepper pizza, stretched over dinner and breakfast the next day; and potato corn chowder, hot rolls and brownies. Not exactly "diet" food, but I was working up quite a sweat in my de-cluttering marathon, so I figured I was working off anything I was putting in.

Not quite. The scale at the next WW meeting showed a 1.2 pound gain. Of course, it's hard to tell how accurate that was because the weather had turned colder and my warmer clothing probably weighed more. Besides, I was still 2 pounds ahead of the game.

Then came Halloween. I proudly avoided the snack-size sweets at the neighbors' party and stuck with liquids -- namely martinis.

"This liquid diet is sure to pay off at the scale," I thought, congratulating myself on the addition of fruit into my evening consumption in the form of raspberry and lemon drop martinis.

After the haunted holiday was over, I performed the sacrificial act so many moms share in to protect their children's dental health: I ate the snack-size Snickers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups out of the treat bags so my children wouldn't have to.

Once the treat bags were polished off (I actually threw some of the candy away -- the DumDum suckers and anything containing coconut -- blech!), I did begin to worry a little about this week's weigh in. So I made whole wheat pasta and salad for dinner on Monday night and vowed to be the best Weight Watcher ever for the rest of the week.

Then the election happened and the next morning I thought the folks in my office might be in a mood, either celebratory or sorrowful, and might need a little something. Pumpkin donuts seemed to fit the bill.

Willpower, where art thou?! Buried under the donuts, I think.

I wished it were me buried under something at today's weigh in. Up another 1.6 pounds for a total one-month weight loss of 0.4 pounds. I could have saved the money, had one bout of intestinal flu and lost more than that.

So, it turns out I am NOT the Biggest Loser this week. But I am not discouraged. They say the longer it takes you to lose the weight, the more likely you are to keep it off. So I figure if I hit my goal by the time I turn 67, then I'm home free for the rest of my days!