My First Weight Watchers Meeting (164.6): Change is Good

This Thursday was my first meeting.

I weighed in at 168 (I weigh myself first thing in the morning - naked :) - this meeting was in the evening). I was given 28 points allowance.

My 5% goal is 8 pounds. 10% is 16 pounds.

The topic was "Change is Good". :) We'll how perfect was that for my first meeting? I'm doing something new...

I've been trying to think about some of the new things I did this year healthwise. I tried Aqua Zumba, Aqua Fitness, Went Back for Another Opinion on My Ankle, Found a New Acupuncturist (after mine stopped seeing patients), and of course, WW.

I'm must admit I am feeling overwhelmed. How can I reach the 5% goal? 8 pounds feels like a huge mountain to climb.

I've worked at all summer and haven't felt like I made significant process. I am traveling next week for work and concerned about losing ground. I have a trip to a Caribbean island in December to do some work for a non-profit I'm on the board for and I REALLY want to be down to 149 but I'll take 155.

I think if I can hit 158 - the  5%. I will begin to really look and feel really good.

Winter is coming soon...and...I've got to get smaller to fit into my winter gear and clothes. I don't want to buy ANYTHING. For the summer, I went to thrift store shopping and purchased some a-line skirts. Enough for about 2 weeks of work. Quite a few are super cute and I'll continue to wear them after the weight is off.

The fit and flare look is flattering on my body type, but, I'm ready to have more variety in my clothes. 

I know I have made progress. I am getting slimmer. I am improving in my cardio and strength endurance. I'm just ready to be "there" already.

69 days left in the year and I'm determined to end it harder, better, stronger, and faster.

Joined Weight Watchers

I'm gonna give WW a spin. The first time I lost 25 pounds (or the Corporate 25 I like to call as I gained it from the inactivity at my desk and business travel the year right after grad school) - I lost it following advice I pieced together from health magazines and a few blogs and some advice from the staff at the gym.

I worked with a dietitian to lose and maintain the weight loss over the past few years. I did both a small group and one on one sessions. I loved both dietitians I worked with and absolutely loved the Hyvee program. But, they made some changes to the program adding testing for cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure at the beginning and the end of the program - which really drove up the cost - from $80 for the group to $300 and double the $119 for individuals.

You can also see a dietitian one on one but at about $1 a minute - it gets expensive.

I liked the small group experience of working with a dietitian and the nice thing about the small groups is we got to have samples of product or special meals. And, I really like the "small" (depends on the night - and the season of the year -- like the first of Jan) group training at UHF. So, I was thinking maybe WW would be a good fit.

I also like that you can obtain lifetime membership.  My concern:  I am not big on counting points (of course - I've never done it). I prefer aiming for certain servings of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats and/or calories. We'll see how this works...

I was concerned about the Goal Weight. Right now I want to be at 142. Technically my 137 is acceptable on the BMI chart. Last year, I spent most of the year around 142 (+/- 5lbs) and looked and felt pretty good. I finally realized that looking back at some pictures and reading myfitness pal tracking #s. But, then I read that as long as I have a doctors note they'll honor that. Hopefully, my doctor will agree with me...I won't see him for a few weeks.

My first meeting is Thursday....

Can't You Feel A Brand New Day? (164.6)

Today was a good day!

Although, I stayed up late watching movies with my nephew until about 2:00 am the night before and then was awakened at 3:30 to drive home a friend who got pulled over for driving on a suspended license, I was determined to get a in a good workout.

So...got up early and went to UHF. Today was the end of the 6 week session workout and it was a great one! We warmed up with suicides. Then, we did 6 rounds of 1 - kettle bell swings 2 - renegade rows 3 - abs on a bosu ball 4 - flipping a 200lb tire 5 - dumbell chops 6 - squats with a jump 7 - running a lap.

I really pushed myself to run without stopping through every lap run. I'm still rebuilding my ankle strength and cardio ability...and I'm pleased with my determination today. My coach even gave me a hug after class to say good job :)

A pic from today's walk - I never feel like I can quite capture the beauty here.

Then I headed over to George Owens Park. It was a beautiful day today! I've really enjoyed these walks at GOP. I did get a little lost today on one of the trails and had to cross through "the woods" to find my way back to the trail. I have to admit I wanted to panic. I was close to finishing my 3 mile walk and was ready to go home and get some lunch...But, I just pushed up and out and through and found a way back to the trail.

I'm up a few pounds from my bday - I relaxed a bit too much on the food and exercise...I have 2 business trips this month that, honestly, I had hope to be slimmer for. I'm gonna work really hard to be at least 159 by November 1st despite my limitations to get to the gym and food I would want.

I'm a HUGE fan of the Wiz - the original broadway production and the movie version. Thursday - I was listening to the soundtrack and Yesterday - my nephew and I watched the movie. This morning on my way to the park - I sang this song to myself. I'm working towards a brand new day - physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially!

George Owens Nature Park (162.0)

I discovered this park about 6 weeks ago....I was looking for a park close to my gym in Independence that had a paved walking path of at least one mile. The weather was gorgeous and I wanted to be outside.

I've been loving the walks here! There's 6 different trails - they vary from paved to more rugged to butterfly trails to railroad spikes.

I'm off the next few days to celebrate my birthday and got up early to walk the park yesterday. It was a beautiful day...

Speaking of my bday...it's just 3 days away and I had plateaued for weeks. I finally saw some progress last three weeks. Dropped to 163. Then 162.4. Then today 162! I switched up the routine slightly and I guess that worked. It's almost maddening to figure out how to break the plateau. I've played with food eaten, calorie cycling, and switching up my workout. I haven't been that low since April. After plateauing most of July, I had hoped to be at 152 by Monday....That's 10 pounds over the high end of my healthy, happy range.

I've made progress and I'm happy about that but it's certainly not as much as I would like. This weight loss is painfully slow! I still have 20 pounds to go...

But, I'm liking the toning up I'm seeing in the mirror...My legs and arms look better. My stomach has decreased...I'm almost completely pain free in my ankle. Which is huge! It feels great to walk the rugged sections of the park with no issue. 

I managed to re-annoy a few old injuries - my shoulder and knee and back over the last month. But, some great sessions with my acupuncturist and chiropractor put everything back in good order. So...that's slowed things a bit.

Now that I'm feeling stronger....I'm looking forward to being able to work harder and see more results!

Loved This Quote: Weight Loss is a War, Not a Battle

I want to blog more frequently. I usually read and follow other blogs at least weekly - often daily. So, I'm challenging myself to write my thoughts down more often and share articles or stories that I found interesting or helpful.

"[Weight loss] is a war, it’s not a battle . . . don't get discouraged if you lose a battle." Dr. Friedman, clinical psychologist and EHE International advisory board member. http://www.fitsugar.com/Guilt-Weight-Loss-31135665

Bummer

Got up early to go to get some laps in the pool. 

I debated if I really wanted to drive the extra distance to the pool or just go to the nearby park and walk a few miles. But, since I didn't make the pool all last week thanks to the rain everyday I thought I should definitely go to the pool.

But, when I got to the pool - the gates were closed. So incredibly frustrating! The pool was supposed to stay open through Labor Day. I quickly checked the pools website on my iphone. According to the newly updated site - starting tomorrow, the pool would now be closed during the week. That doesn't explain why the pool was closed today, but there is no one to complain to.

So, I sucked it up, headed home for some sneakers, and went to the park for an abbreviated walk - frustrated that I had to cut my workout in half thanks to all the time wasted driving back and forth to the pool.

Running laps in the pool has made a huge difference in rehabbing my ankle over the last few weeks. Plus, I've grown to love spending time in the outside pool - mostly in solitude - with the sun shining down on me. With three weeks left until Labor Day, I was really looking forward those laps in the pool.

I never thought I would enjoy water aerobics and pool running as much as I do. I really don't see myself doing water aerobics and pool running in the fall and winter when the weather gets colder...It's a bummer to wrap it up so soon.

I'll might try to squeeze in a pool run here or there when I'm at the independence 24 hour fitness as the one closest to me doesn't have a pool. But that's a 20 minute drive from the house. Honestly, during the summer, I'm rarely at 24. I liked to be out and about in nature or a park.

No SugarCoating It...(163.6)

The scale read 163.6 today. I have lost about 3-5lbs. I have more 20lbs to lose.

I kept the weight gain from the ankle sprain in April & ankle re-injury in late May & through physical therapy in August and September & a knee injury in October to within 5lbs to 10lbs.

Beginning in Early March, however, I put on some additional weight. By the mid April, I had gained another 10lbs.

It's entirely too much on my 5'2" frame.

In January, my doctor recommended going back to Physical Therapy as I was still in pain and had limited range of motion & ability. I finished that in March. Actually, I stopped going to the sessions. They were expensive - $40 a pop - that's my co-pay - thank goodness for insurance :/. I had improved but I still was in a lot of discomfort and still had a way to go. I wondered if another treatment was more appropriate it. I wondered if I could do most of the exercises myself.

My doctor had mentioned surgery was option last year and repeated it again and again this year with my follow-ups. But, I didn't feel like he could concretely assure (or assure me enough) me that would take care of the problem. So, I sought out a second opinion from a doctor specializing in pain and pain management. She prescribed me a strong medication to help reduce the inflammation and water aerobics and more therapy. She also mentioned that surgery was an option - but offered up a less invasive option and then the more extensive option if that didn't work. She also reassured me that this length of recovery can be normal for an ankle injury.

I started out with the water aerobics and the medication. I really saw improvement with that. I then thought I would go back to physical therapy, but I ended up traveling most of May and a week in June on business travel. When I returned, I had improved enough that I wondered if I needed more physical therapy. But, I thought it best I finish the sessions out. My PT's office didn't want to take the script from April and the my referring doctor's office never returned my request for an updated request. Call it kismet...I kept going to the water aerobic classes and started walking a mile or two and doing mobility exercises. I finally realized in late June they had never called back, and I was doing pretty good. By July, I decided I wouldn't go back to physical therapy. I wanted to go back to my small groups/HIIT workout gym. I would just take it very easy at first.

I've been back for about 3 weeks. I'm feeling really good so far. Pain is down - I think I'm like 98% painfree! I'm also walking and running laps in the pool.

I'd really like to lose 10lbs by September 9th - which is my birthday. I'd like to be down another 5 pounds by late October. And another by November. That would put me back to within my happy, healthy weight range. That's just being realistic.