Weight loss was easier when I was younger, but here I go again, reinventing my grocery list and clearing my pantry of forbidden foods. There are no “forbidden foods” on the Weight Watchers new 360 plan since they teach moderation and tracking. But there are foods that are more difficult for me to resist than others. I am changing my food life by writing down every bite and learning to plan and balance my food intake within my 26-point allotment for each day.
The leader at my weekly Weight Watchers meeting reminds us that we have 49 “extra” points each week and we should feel confident using them. Heck, I could really go wild and use all of them in one sitting — if I let myself. I’ve lost only 13 pounds so far this time, but I sure don’t want to see it again. This time I know I have to make a lifelong commitment to change or I will wind up right back in the same place I was 13 pounds ago.
There are lots of feelings associated with weight loss: frustration when you don’t lose or lose as much as you think you should, exhilaration when the number of pounds lost inches upward, pride in yourself for losing and doing something very good for yourself, pride when you catch your reflection in a store window, and disappointment in self when you secretly eat ice cream or sneak chocolate and don’t write it down (or add the total into your daily points).
I have committed to this way of eating, but so far I have not committed to the “e-word” — exercise. I blame it on anything I can and make tons of excuses to self. Who am I kidding? Only me! I know I should be walking but somehow my feet won’t take me out the door, get more info. Sure, I’ve walked a few times, but it’s never regular. They say you have to do something at least 10 times before it becomes a habit¬. I don’t know if I will ever do the “e-word” 10 times in a row. I have good intentions, though. My old tennis shoes are in the back of my car in case I am out somewhere and have time to walk. So far, they haven’t hit the dirt.
We real estate agents are really big on a call-to-action, so here’s one: Commit to walk for 15 minutes a day every day for 10 days. Let’s test it and see if it feels like something we’d like to have as a habit. I will. Care to join me?