Me - A Week Later

Today's Weight (November 28, 2009): 183.6 Pounds

Weight Loss for the Week: 1 Pound

Well, another week has come and gone in my journey to a better, fitter me. I'm pretty satisfied with my weight loss this week, since last week, I only lost .2 pounds.

My work routine was it's usual hectic pace. However, there was one thing which was different. That being that the weather this past week was considerably colder, though I did tough it out everyday, and did my 1 mile walk from the subway every evening. It really helped to have The Who, Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles on my MP3 player - those guys all get me moving so I don't really feel exactly how cold it really is until I get home and feel that my cheeks are ice cold.

Also, this week is the second week that I went to exercise class over my lunch hour. The leader (Jane) really makes everyone work really hard, and by the time I get to the end of the class, I really feel exhausted but also I feel like I've done something wonderful to help me along the road to a healthier me. She not only uses aerobics but she also incorporates weights and the stability ball into the routine. The stability ball is quite new for me, and it's helped me discover that I have absolutely no balance on the left side of my body. I told my hubby about this and he recommended that the next time I see my GP in January that I mention this to him, and find out if this is something I should be concerned about.

On the food front, I believe I made some really good choices this week. I had chicken a couple of nights, I made a fresh pasta dish loaded with mushrooms and onions, and I stayed away from red meat totally. The other tool I use (thank you, thank you to Weight Watchers) is the weekly tracker. While I'm not always perfect, writing everything (or at least 99%) of what I eat, helps keep me honest and makes me think twice about anything that goes into my mouth.

Yesterday, I took the day off along with my hubby so we could spend our 26th wedding anniversary together. He surprised me by taking me for lunch to a restaurant I had been talking about since I started going to Weight Watchers. This restaurant is called Fire and Ice and it's a unique place in that the server gives you the menu, and goes on to explain how things "work" there. You tell her which protein (beef, chicken, pork, fish) you want and she writes it on a ticket, which you hand to the chef at the buffet. After the server takes your order, you go to the buffet and you choose your veggies and noodle - you can pile your plate as high as it will hold. You then take your heaping plate to the chef, where he takes your ticket and your plate, and he prepares your meal (a stirfry), which is then brought back to your table for you to enjoy. I chose a ton of veggies and decided on talapia and shrimp with light teriyaki sauce. It was so delish I wished I had heaped my plate higher than I did. But, I'm also mindful that I had to get on the scale the next morning for weigh-in. So, as good as the food was, I restained myself and felt great that I ate a completely healthy and guilt free meal.

Today, I got on the scale and found that my good behaviour has been rewarded with a 1 pound loss. Not a huge loss, but a loss nonetheless, and I'll take whatever loss I can get at this point.

Challenges for the Coming Week:

1. Even colder weather expected, so this may result in fewer evening walks home.

2. No food related challenges this week - however holiday parties are just around the corner!

48 Years Late is Better Than Never

Today's Weight (November 21, 2009): 184.6 Pounds

Hi Everyone,

I'm Cutey and I live somewhere in North America. This is my inaugural blog which I decided to create so I could document my journey to better health. My story really started a little over 48 years ago on June 17, 1961,the date of my birth.

The birth itself was completely uneventful and I was born a healthy 8 pounds, but what followed was anything but uneventful...

See, when my mother took me to my first pediatrician appointment, she was informed sadly that I did not appear to be thriving, and that rather than triple my weight, I had only doubled it. Mom was pretty upset by this news and embarked on rectifying the situation. She not only plied me with whole milk as a toddler, but my grandfather insisted that I be fed chocolate and that my pacifier be dipped in sugar! Well, in very, very short order not only was I thriving, but I became a very chubby 5 year old!

So, again, the pediatrician instructed my mother to go easy on the milk...so she scaled back to giving me skim milk. This strategy seemed to work for a little while...then puberty hit...and at the age of 16, I had a 10 pound weight "problem". My aunt, who happened to be going to Weight Watchers at the time, suggested that I join too and start going to meetings with her. I joined and started losing weight on their teen program. Looking back, the program was ridiculously restrictive (all I was allowed to eat was salad, tuna, pea, potatoes and eggs). I don't recall ever reaching goal - meaning that I don't think I got rid of my 10 pound "problem".

Well, the next thing I know, my family moved cities and I was 18 years old, having to start life over - new town, new school, new friends. My weight seemed to hold steady, then I finished school and started to work full-time. This meant 8 hours at a desk job and little to no physical activity, except during the weekends when I went out with friends and out on dates. By the time I met the guy who would eventually become my husband, my 10 pound "problem" had ballooned to a 20 pound "problem". I didn't try to do anything about it until we were engaged and the wedding was scheduled to take place in November 1983. I watched what I ate and I did lose some weight, but again, not the entire 20 pounds.

In the 1980's, as a married woman with a steady job and a great husband, I really let myself slide...no longer did I have a 20 pound "problem" - it became a 50 pound "embarrassment". Again, I joined Weight Watchers, and I had a bit of success, but I again, failed to reach my goal. During this time, my husband and I tried to conceive but that was a dismal failure. The doctor was extremely concerned about the fact that I was carrying all that excess weight and that it was making conception and administration of fertility drugs very dangerous. Sadly, we never had any children.

In the 1990's, my weight continued to creep upwards. I was now carrying 211 pounds on my 5'3" frame. Mercifully, I was able to sign up for Weight Watchers' "At Work" program. It would have been great except that not everyone shared my motivation to lose weight...the group had to have 20 participants for 12 weeks...by Week 3, the group dwindled to a handful of faithful (myself included). I had some success and then the 12 weeks was up and less than 20 of my co-workers wanted to re-join. This happened a couple of times. I think I somehow managed to get down to a weight of 179 at one point.

Again, time marched on, and the weight continued to creep up on me. In 2002, my husband and I bought a home a fair distance from both family and work. We were thrilled with our purchase, however it was stressful not being close to family and maintaining the property. Also, with the tanking economy, my husband's work prospects in film and television fizzled out. The stress really took it's toll...by 2005, I had ballooned to an unbelievable 215 pounds. I joined Curves and enjoyed that very much, but it didn't seem to do much for me, so I stopped going.

In 2008, things became really bad financially for my husband and I, to the point where we were constantly fighting with each other. We made the difficult decision to sell our home and move back to the city. During this time, I really started to feel physically and mentally ill and thought there was something very seriously wrong with me. I was moody and always crying. I made a promise to my husband that once we moved back to the city, that I would go to his GP and have a full physical.

We moved in May 2009 and in June, I went to visit the doctor...the news wasn't great. I weighed in at 207 pounds, and my blood pressure was up to 164/100. The doctor also told me that my blood sugar was borderline and I was heading for diabetes. He told me if I didn't lose the weight, I would become extremely ill and could suffer a heart attack and/or stroke before I turned 50. Right away, he put me on blood pressure medication to stabilize that. I assured him that I would join Weight Watchers at the local mall that weekend.

Again, that was in June. I've been going to my meetings faithfully, following program, and have so far lost nearly 23 pounds. I know it's not much, but the scale is going down and I know that eventually, I'll reach my goal of 135 pounds. I now walk home every evening from the subway which is a mile away from home. I even started going to exercise class at work twice a week. This time, I'm going to be successful in my journey. My plan is to document that journey through this blog. I'm hoping that by sharing my journey with everyone, that I could help someone out there who's struggling just like me. Also, there may be times, where I may need help, encouragement and inspiration from people out there who know what it's like to struggle to get and stay healthy.

I'm just starting out and this is my first entry. Over time, I'm hoping to add much, much more content to this blog. At least I'm starting now...48 yers late is better than not starting at all. Until my next entry...so long.