Positives and Negatives

"When I buy cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away.  But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later.  Be careful, though, because that Raid really doesn't taste that bad."  ~Janette Barber

Today makes week two of my changes.  Although last week was my birthday week and I ate a lot of what I wanted, I have lost 4 pounds total!  At this rate, we could be seeing some real body changes in a few weeks.  Weight Watchers has been a great vehicle for my weight loss and I highly recommend it to others.  This week, our leader asked us what changes we have made in our lives that have led to our weight loss...and what are the things that are still standing in our way of achieving our goals.  I thought I would share those with you in case they may inspire positive changes in your every day choices.

Positive Changes:

1.     Goodbye to Cherry Coke.  I love Cherry Coke like most women love chocolate.  I would drink at least one a day...sometimes two or three depending on how bad of a day I was having.  I started replacing my soda intake with water and iced tea, which drastically cut my sugar intake.  Now, I do still have the occasional soda, but it is maybe once a week at this point.  Ironically enough, what I thought I could not live without, I now do not miss.
2.    Bon Voyage to Fried Foods.  If I have a craving for french fries or hot wings, I now bake them in the oven instead of frying everything.  They are so much healthier, and you still feel like you are cheating on your diet.
3.     Recruit Your Family.  The better the support system you have, the more likely you are to succeed.  This means, if you eat asparagus and salmon for dinner...the whole family does.  I think you will be surprise how much your family will enjoy the positive changes once they get used to them.
4.     I GAVE UP DIETING.  I know that there are ways to lose weight much faster than I currently am, but I wanted to make a life change, as opposed to dieting for a drastic weight loss.  I am told that the longer it takes you to lose the weight, the longer you keep it off because you are actually committing to a whole new lifestyle.  This is the way I plan to live the rest of my life.
5.     Still Splurge.  By denying yourself the good stuff you crave, you will just binge that much more on it when you are free to eat it again.  Here is an example:  I, like most who read this, are obsessed with Starbucks!  I still allow myself one or two drinks a week, but I cut calories by ordering skim milk (sometimes soy) and no whip cream.  Those two steps alone will save you tons of fat grams and calories.

What's in My Way:

1.   Working Out.  I am having a hard time finding the time to work out.  Yep.  I know I need to do it, but between cooking, cleaning, errands, play dates, cooking and cleaning again, family time and trying to relax at the end of the day.... I am just ready for bed when my day is all said and done.  It just isn't high enough on the priority list right now for me.  More to come on how this one gets worked out.
2.   Eating Out.  There are so few restaurants that release their nutrition information that it is RIDICULOUS!  Every time I try to plan ahead when eating out, I ended up getting blindsided by the excess calories and fat hidden in a seemingly healthy dish.  Very frustrating.  There are a few restaurants that are fairly public about their nutritional facts, so I frequent their establishments more often.  Panera being the best.
3.   My Daughter.  I know it sounds bad, but it is true.  The meetings that are close to where I live are all at times that my husband is at work, it is naptime or it is dinner time for Ericka.  It is soooooo difficult to take her to the meetings.  I was asked to take her out of the meeting today because she literally threw a fit in the floor after pick-pocketing the lady sitting next to us and tearing up my booklet.  Even though I packed toys and let her play with my iPhone, I could not keep her in her stroller and quiet.  It is both naptime and lunchtime during the noon meeting and I struggle with what to do.  I actually started to tear up as I left the meeting feeling like there is yet another hurdle in my weight loss that I cannot seem to get over.  This being my biggest concern, I plan to sit down with my husband and see what his suggestions are.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that there are good moments and hard moments losing weight and being a woman.  All you can do is tackle your issues one at a time and celebrate the victories you have already accomplished.  Any step towards a healthier life is an accomplishment in and of itself.