Penitence and Progress

[eurydicebound]

I am a goddamn clueless idiot.

The other day, I commented on dvixen's LJ that it didn't seem to matter what I ate, only how active I was as to whether or not I lost weight. She was kind enough not to laugh and point, but rather considered that she felt lucky that it had worked so well for her. The thing was, I really believed it. I'd tried a lot of stuff and my diet wasn't actually bad. It just seemed like whenever I'd try something to improve matters, I'd feel healthier but it wouldn't have any affect on weight loss.

A week ago, I saw an ad that Weight Watchers was having a free week of membership through the web site. I've never been one for meetings and peer pressure so I had eschewed the idea of joining up with WW in one of the more traditional ways. A couple of friends of mine have been going to meetings for a while now and losing weight with it, so on the "what can you lose" theory of weight loss, I decided to try look into it. Turns out they have Weight Watchers Online, which involves a number of handy programs to help you keep track of things and calculate all those points they use. It's like gaming, really, with a system you can min max and sneak a little from one corner to have extra where you really want it. Best of all, I don't have to go talk to anyone. I was thrilled enough to give it a shot and so enrolled.

Today is the end of my first week. I went to the gym, expecting no progress whatsoever. I got on the scale and...

I lost 3 pounds.

3 pounds! Me! 3 pounds! In one week! More specifically, in a week where I'd probably normally be gaining weight given impending Monthly doom! I didn't get in a huge amount of exercise more than normal, I just paid attention and didn't go eat something I really shouldn't at the end of a week where I'd done that a couple of times already. 3 pounds!!!!

So, yeah. I'm really pleased. This is the best weight loss news I've had in ages of changing how I looked a bit but never, ever seeing the needle move on the scale. I'm very much going to be continuing this program, and I'll keep people updated as we go, if only so that I can have a big party at the end and everyone will know why. And dvixen, you can officially beat me about the head and shoulders when next we meet. Just.... duh.

Comments

[tsob.livejournal.com]

Congratulations. Three down, seven to go.

:-D

[polyhex.livejournal.com]

Yeah! Congrats. My Mom just passed the 20 lb mark with WW.

[tfbretz.livejournal.com]

A good friend of ours got on WW because her doctor wanted her to try gastric bypass.

At last count, she's lost the over equivalent weight of a member of N'SYNC. She credits WW with saving her life, or at least her health.

[dvixen.livejournal.com]

*cheer*

(I didn't start losing weight til the third week.)

Build those good habits first, lose the weight second.

(I may have to shun you for being successful with WW though. ;))

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, if I started trying to do Atkins I'd end up going on a carb binge the likes of which the Pacific Northwest has never seen. To each their own, I suppose. :)

[winterhawk.livejournal.com]

Weight Watchers is great! I'm glad it's working for you--it sure worked for me. I liked the same aspect as you did: it's like a game that you can play to your advantage and still lose weight (as long as you keep to your points). I lost...well...let's say a whole lot of weight, and I continued to eat fast food way too often (we don't cook much)--all it took was a little moderation and getting rid of things that didn't come up right in the points-to-enjoyment ratio.

Congrats on your three pounds! If you're like most people that will go down in subsequent weeks (the first is always the highest) but on average it's reasonable to expect around 1-1.5 pounds a week with occasional weeks of 2+ or >1. And those add up fast! :)

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Heck, I was shocked at 3. I don't expect it will continue at that rate. Mind you, if I don't get a job immediately and follow through with my plan of daily gym visits following the end of my contract, that could change, but that's a few weeks off yet.

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

Yep, WW is good stuff. At the guts of it, it's really just "eat less, move more", which is why it works. I lost 60 pounds on WW; most of it's still gone. :)

[michael-b-lee.livejournal.com]

Good for you! I'm pretty much in the same boat you're in; unless I'm working out (and preferably fencing) regularly and often, I just can't lose weight by dieting alone.

WW was the only program that worked for me. I think I lost something on the order of 15 pounds. Sadly, stress and overwork caused me to pack it all on again. :(