Thursday, January 27, 2011

FAQ from the WW message boards... edition #1 "only 1 pound?!"

***Warning: This will be a preach-y post.***

I am on the Weight Watchers message boards a lot. Probably too much. And there are a few things that new members ask about that rub me the wrong way.

But I know what being a newbie is like! I was one pretty recently (late May/early June 2009).

This is the first installment of my WW message boards FAQ, with my personal answers!

1) I worked SO HARD this week and lost ONLY ONE POUND!!!
What am I doing wrong???

The only thing that you're doing wrong is placing unrealistic expectations upon yourself (and the scale, and WW). Weight Watchers is designed for a slow, steady approach to weight loss (.5-2 pounds per week).

Remember: Losing 1 pound every week is more than 50 pounds every year! The slower losses are because WW is more than just a diet. As cliche as this sounds, WW really is a lifestyle change!

Eating less, moving more, but nothing drastic. No food groups cut out, no extreme exercise plan, no intense deprivation from ANY FOOD. WW is simply: Everything in moderation.

I know that I could lose really fast (3 or 4 pounds a week!!!) if I stopped eating everything that I love, and spent hours at the gym every day. (And believe me, that is something I've tried in the past, several times, only to regain the weigh PLUS some). With a slower rate of loss, my mind has had the time to catch up with my body.

I am in the healthy weight range after a year and a half on WW. And because it took me this long to get here, I see that in the mirror. I don't still feel like the "fat girl". Every time that I've lost weight quickly, I still felt fat, even when I wasn't.

And let me tell you: I am loving not feeling fat!!! It is great to look down at myself and think: YES! I've not fat anymore! And to KNOW that, not just because of the number on the scale.

Well, I've kind of gone off on a personal tangent here, but that's what blogging is for, right? :-)

5 comments:

Megan said...

*like*

:)

Amanda said...

I love your post today! I agree with everything you said. I also love not feeling fat. And to do that takes eating right, exercising, and learning how to love yourself for who you are. You have come such a long way and you totally inspire me to keep going each day. :)

Katie said...

I like this post too! I also really like what you say about how losing weight more slowly allowed you to adjust mentally as well. It's true, when you lose weight quickly (and in an unhealthy way) you don't feel as confident or good about yourself.

Katy said...

I love love love this post! Keep on keeping on Leah, you're keeping me going!

Unknown said...

Love this!