Well, I quit Weight Watchers.
I'm pretty sure I mentioned that FireMan & I fell off the wagon when his dad passed away. And gained a significant amount of weight back in just a few short weeks.
We did manage to get back on track, but... somewhere along the way I realized that this isn't working for me. I don't want to do a program that the minute I stop I start gaining back what I lost. And I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life counting points.
Or calories, or sugar, or fat, or carbs, or whatever.
Will that work? I'm sure of it.
I just don't want to live that way.
One of my friends has lost over 100 lbs doing Weight Watchers. I am very proud of her, incredibly proud of the work she's done. And she's kept it off for approximately 10 years.
She also still religiously counts her points. She will not accept a spontaneous lunch invitation, because she hasn't had time to plan what she would get. She requires about a week's notice if we want to eat out, so she can work it into her weekly meal plan. She cooks two meals each night: one for her husband & sons, a completely separate meal for herself. That she eats alone, after the boys are done, so she won't be tempted.
I know that's an extreme example of the type of dedication required to make any one of these programs work for life, but the point remains... I don't want to live like that.
Not long term. And the fact is that doing it short term just means that the pounds will creep back on.
Do I still want to lose weight? Yes. And I know that now that my endocrine levels are normal, I should be successful on any program.
But I've come to realize that I don't want a program. I want a lifestyle. Even if it means the weight loss is more gradual. Honestly, even if it means I don't lose any more weight. I want to train myself to change my life so that the changes I make become second nature.
So I've come up with some baby steps to gradual incorporate into my life. Baby steps because I think the more gradual it comes, the more likely it is to stay long-term.
Step #1 is to reduce the amount I eat out. Jason & I have known this was an issue since we were dating. We eat out way too often. It's not good for our waistlines or our wallets. So that's the first item I'm tackling.
I started about a week into June simply by tracking how much we eat in versus how much we eat out. I didn't try to eat out less, as I needed a baseline. I simply tracked.
Are you ready for this? The last 3 weeks of June, I ate out for nearly 60% of my meals. Sixty percent. It's one thing to know it's "too much". It's another thing to see the numbers.
So my initial goal is to reduce the number of meals we eat out by a minimum of 5% each month, until we reach 25% or less.
This may not seem like a big deal to ya'll, and I totally know it's doable. But... for this not-very-good cook, who has failed at meal planning repeatedly... it seems a bit daunting.
Anyone know any quick-n-EASY recipes they'd like to share? Or EASY crockpot recipes? I'm listening...
As always, thanks for checking in!
6 comments:
http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/
Best website for yummy, easy crockpot recipes. I've tried numerous recipes {and modified some to include ingredients I like} and have been happy with every one I tried.
I am feeling 'ya on the lifestyle decision. I have really struggled lately with being frustrated with counting calories. I'm using MFP app on my phone and have almost become addicted to logging every thing I eat. It's a control thing, I know.
However, I realize that I simply cannot live the rest of my life counting every single morsel I eat. I know how to eat healthy and know what foods to choose. Why am I not just eating healthy, nutritious foods when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full??
So that's what I'm doing now; I'm still applying insulin resistance principles, like limiting huge amounts of carbs at a single sitting. However, I am not tracking calories.
I'm still working out like a fiend because frankly, it makes me happy. But, I'm not worried about how many calories I burn in each workout.
I hope you can find a method of eating that makes you happy and lets you continue on your road to weight loss.
Tacos! They're easy. You can switch things up (chicken, ground beef, steak, pork), you can load on veggies and keep the fat content low. You can adjust your own spices (most spice mixes are just equal parts cumin, chili powder, and garlic, with a bunch of salt thrown in). You can cook a bunch of meat at once and have leftovers that still taste good. That's our go-to meal...unless it's BLT season. Then we eat those a lot.
You know, that's very telling ... I suspect it's a common problem for those of us trying to lose weight that does not even occur to us!
I agree completely with not wanting to be on a program for the rest of your life. I lost 80 pounds on WW and then life happened and I gradually gained all of it back. Then I rejoined and lost 40 and gained 10 back. It's a vicious cycle. And it shouldn't happen. I considered going back to WW because it worked for me in the past, but I don't want to spend the money. I feel the way you do. I want to have a lifestyle change. Not just a diet.
I applaud your intuition in knowing that yo-yo dieting or feeling super controlled is not for you. You will be doing your daughter a huge favor by avoiding any kind of worked over strange relationship with food. Believe me. I watched my mother do this for decades and I almost fell prey myself to this type of problem. However, I promised myself that I wouldn't do it and didn't.
I waited until I found what worked for me, took pounds off slowly only once and have maintained for almost 2 years now.
You will find something. And I like your approach to looking at what is a reality and trying to change slowly. Best of luck to you.
Do you use Pinterest? I have found so many great recipes there. You can search specifically for ones you want (crockpot recipes, chicken recipes) or just repin things your friends have already found. It's addicting, but well worth it!
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