2010 vs. 2011 - when diet isn't #1 anymore

In 2010, I was very dedicated to my diet, which was Weight Watchers. 

Every morning, I logged onto Weight Watchers Online, and I went back several times a day to track everything that I ate, even keeping a paper journal throughout the day so that I would be sure to not forget anything.  I would also spend hours on the message boards, groups, and challenges.  I also began my true obsession with blogging that year, both on my WW.com blog and on here.

I had a very specific weight loss goal for 2010, and I knew that it would take hard work and dedication to reach it.  The goal was to lose 50 pounds in 2010, and I did it.  It still makes me feel very proud to know that I did that.



December 2009




December 2010

 My life in 2010 revolved around Weight Watchers, this blog, exercise, and a wee bit of actual work while at work.  I went from weighing in at 207 to weighing in at 156.8.

Enter 2011.  Suddenly my life included something new that's really important to me:  school.

Suddenly my life revolved around school, with Weight Watchers coming in 2nd.

I still made Weight Watchers and exercise a priority, which is why I was able to lose 13.6 pounds in the first few months of the year despite being such a busy bee.

Summer hit, and I pretty much maintained my loss, going up and down the same 1 to 3 pounds every week.

Then came fall semester... along with a tougher class schedule (no more freshman level courses), a car accident, and a bunch of family drama.  And suddenly, Weight Watchers/exercise/healthy lifestyle slid into 3rd place in the priorities.

School, then family/STRESS, then Weight Watchers.

And that's when the scale started to creep up quickly.  I gained 23.4 pounds from my low weight of 143.2, and got back up to 166.6 somehow.  And it wasn't really with obvious culprits such as binge eating or lack of exercise. 

Nope, it was sneaky stuff like a stolen bite here and there.  Not tracking every day.  Cheating myself on the scale.  Not accurately measuring my food.  A few bad habits creeping back in, like eating chips straight from the bag while watching TV. 

Stress can kill your dieting efforts.  It definately killed mine. 

When I finally stopped lying to myself about my weight gain, I felt in control again.  Healthy eating and exercise still aren't my number one priority, but I'm back on the wagon anyway.  I've lost 10.4 of the gained weight, which puts me back to 156.2, a mere .6 pound net loss for 2011.  Sigh.

I can only hope that even though it's not my number 1 priority, that I can continue to lose weight and eventually be able to maintain without the constant fear of regain.

But I'm still terrified that I have a body that wants to be bigger.  Like my body is happiest at around 165 and will keep trying to get me back to that size if I'm not paying close attention.

All in all, I have decided that I would rather be a college graduate (with honors!!!) who is slightly overweight than someone who hates her job and life but is great at losing weight. 

So that's where I'm at now, just trying to get back to my goal weight, but without the HUGE priority anymore.  I'm ready to find a healthy balance.

Of course, that will have to wait until after these finals are over! 

Has stress ever messed with your

weight loss efforts? 

because I want to spread the joy!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm shouting. But only because I'm so excited about making this goal.

The goal that I'm talking about is "Lose 50 Pounds in 2010" which as of this morning, I have done.

:-) :-) :-)

I started out weighing 207 on January 1, 2010 and as of this morning's weigh-in, I weigh 156.8.

Some people get very de-motivated by calendar goals. I used to be one of them. But in January I decided that I would make my first big calendar goal of losing 50 pounds in one year.

That is losing "only" about a pound a week. I was tagged (on facebook) in a picture from about a year ago, putting up the Christmas tree in December of '09. I decided to attach that picture, along with one that was taken on December 11 of this year.

It's pretty amazing to see how far I've come. And that a pound a week adds up!!! Don't ever let anyone tell you that it's not enough to lose 4 pounds a month.

I have not suffered one bit to lose a pound a week. I just eat a little less, and exercise a little more. (Okay, okay, I exercise a LOT more, since I was pretty inactive before). But my main point here is that you don't need to cut out a food group or eat barely anything to see real results.

And everyone who mocked my slow weight loss a year ago is now asking how I did it. How did I lose so much weight?! I tell them, "Weight Watchers, which is basically just 'eat less, move more' with a support system. Plus I cut out meat and dairy, and exercise a lot. And I never give up."

Lose 50 Pounds in 2010 (and other accomplishments)

42.6/50
7.4 pounds left/8 Weeks left in the year!
I can do it. I have 8 weeks left in which to lose 7.4 pounds. I can do this!!!

It has been a long ride, 2010. I can't believe how much I've accomplished this year (so far), and not all of it has been weight-loss related.

First off, it will be my first full year as a non-smoker. I quit smoking in July 2009.

Secondly, I have seen an advisor at The University of Memphis, and am planning on visiting financial aid later this week as well as registering for the spring 2011 semester next week. I'm so excited to start school again! This is step one in becoming the adult that I've always wanted to be, with a real career and everything. :-)

Third, I have finally overcome my depression. My therapist, Bob, says that I only need to check in monthly now. And that's just as a precaution. He is amazed at how much progress I've made.

Fourth, Stacey and I are in a great place as a couple. At the beginning of the year, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. Now we are more in love than ever, and are more committed to a future together than we've ever been.

Finally, I have lost 42.6 pounds in 2010. How amazing is that?! Even if I don't make my ultimate 2010 weight-loss goal of 50 pounds lost, that is pretty amazing. 42.6 pounds since January 1, 2010. And I'm still going strong!

Sometimes, it is necessary to step back and look at all of your accomplishments, big and small. For me, finally, I have several BIG ones!!! Yay! :-)

Bullies!!!

Story time!

So I'm out on my bike ride last night, not a care in the world. It's the first week as a WW-er who has lost over 50 pounds, it's the last week that I'll be 25 years old, my body feels great, powerful, and healthy. It's a bit cold out, the first taste of the fall weather here in Tennessee. I'm feeling great about life, and about myself!

I turn a corner and there is a group of boys, probably ages 8-12 (I'm bad at guessing kid's ages. They could have been 6 or 15, too, but 8-12 is my best guess.). I don't think anything of them, just acknowledge their presence in my mind as carefree kids shooting the breeze on a Tuesday evening after school.

As I approach the group (as it's on my route), one of them shouts at me, "Hey, lady you need a better bike." That doesn't bother me, I just ignore them and keep on biking. My bike is a pretty nice one by my standards. I bought it from a yard sale last summer for $15, it's green, and everything works. But kids will be kids, right?

Then as I bike away, I hear the same one shout, "You need a better booty, too!"

I'm not going to write here what I shouted back to him in response. I'm not proud of it. That kind of rash behavior towards rude children is one of the many reasons that I'm not ready to have them myself yet.

If you know me, you know now that I am pretty darn sensative about my butt. It's big. Probably out of the 50 pounds that I've lost, only 7 of them came off of my butt, so with my now much smaller waist, it looks even bigger now. (I know, cry me a river, right, complaining about my smaller waist! I'm not, I really love my waist!!) Anyway, the point is, my big butt is a sore subject for me.

Kids used to tease me about it all the time when I was a teenager. So those memories came flooding back to me when that evil neighborhood kid was rude enough to make that comment.

I just thought that my days of being bullied by children were over, since I myself haven't been a child for 8 years now. But I guess that I was wrong.

So a warning to my readers: Kids can be really mean. Kids can be bullies. Even to adults.

50 POUNDS GONE FOREVER!!!

I don't quite know how to put into words how amazing I feel to write that I have now officially lost 50 entire pounds of fat.

Just know that I am very happy with the results of both Weight Watchers and The Kind Diet. Having the rules of Weight Watchers to follow has helped me to learn more about portion control and hunger signals, as well as the importance of exercise. Being vegan has helped me stay out of my boyfriend's Cooler Ranch Doritos, Little Debbies, and Totinos party pizzas. :-)

I have updated my next goal weight: 155. I can't believe how close that feels now! I now weigh 169.2, which means that I am only 14.2 pounds overweight.

Meaning that when I reach my next goal of 155, I will no longer be considered overweight on any BMI chart. And yes, I still plan to go on to lose 20 more pounds after that, to get closer to the middle of the range and to feel truly fantastic about my body!

But I'm already feeling pretty darn good about my body. It has definately shrunk and tightened up this year.

This week, on October 7, I turn 26 years old. It is my goal to not let my birthday mean "permission to binge-eat" like it has in the past. I am planning to earn a lot of Activity Points this week, and to probably eat most of them on my birthday. This is because my family is buying me a vegan birthday cake from Whole Foods, and I will probably eat a fairly large slice or two. ;-) But it's my birthday, and it's planned, so.... there.

I also have more exciting news: On October 13-18, Stacey (boyfriend) and I are visiting my brother Joel in New York City! Not only will this be the most awesome trip ever because I will get to see Joel (see link to joelbnew.com in my list of links to the right), many pictures will be taken and I will post a few here.

Oh, and it's almost time to take my next set of progress pictures. I took the last ones at 178.6, and I'm now at 169.2. I'm looking forward to see what difference the last 10 pounds made, if any. I'm sure that my waist is smaller!

Okay, I hope that all of my readers/followers have great weeks.

Thanks for following me!

edit: I have started a mini-challenge to earn 25 AP by Thursday (my birthday) to eat a few slices of vegan birthday cake! :-) Hurray for the flexibility of this plan!

edit #2: I need one more follower! I think it would be super awesome to get my 50th follower right after I lost my 50th pound!! :-)

Lose 50 pounds in 2010

31.4 pounds/50 pounds
18.6 pounds to go/19 weeks left

That is how my goal of losing 50 pounds in 2010 is going. I can't believe how well I've done!

On second thought, yes I can. I've worked really hard this year to get healthier and to lose weight. Notice that I put "health" before "weight loss". I am beginning to realize that when I focus on getting healthier, the weight loss follows.

I also transitioned from a standard American diet that includes meat, dairy, eggs, and honey to veganism. That has definately helped with both my health and my weight loss.

While it's true that there is A LOT of vegan junk food out there (my top two: oreos and plain potato chips) my temptations in my everday life have almost vanished.

The candy in the office candy bowl is NOT vegan, the donuts that co-workers bring in sometimes are NOT vegan, most fast food is NOT vegan, etc. These are foods that I no longer want. I will see the donuts, think, "I'll eat some pineapple or a couple of vegan cookies when I get home, both of which will probably taste better than donuts, anyway" and sometimes I do, but most of the time the craving to "be bad" is gone by the time I get home.

So in that sense, yes, becoming vegan can help with weight loss.

Also, I have learned to love exercise. LOVE IT. I will say that there are days that I don't feel like doing it, though. And on those days, I will usually let my body rest for the night. But the next day, if I'm still "not feeling it" I will make myself do it anyway. And usually halfway through my workout, I remember why I love moving and really get into it.

I feel like despite being 40+ away from my ultimate weight loss goal, I've already won the battle. My attitude about food and exercise has changed. I am done using food as medicine, and I am done being a couch potato. I don't miss doing either of those things.

Hurray for epiphanies!

Halfway Point! ...and a confession...

The year 2010 is half over. So is my personal challenge to lose 50 pounds in 2010. How am I doing?

Drumroll, please...

I am down 25.2 pounds this year. In other words, I am right on schedule!

I remember a time when I thought that I needed to lose 8 to 10 pounds a month otherwise it wasn't "worth it". Now when I lose a pound a week, I am thrilled! And so far this year, I have been doing that.

Some weeks I lose more (this week I am down 1.6) and some weeks I lose less (last week I was down .6) but I almost always am down SOMETHING and for that I am so proud of myself.

I do credit The Kind Diet to helping me reach my goals. But only partly. Because here is my confession, dear followers:

I have started to follow Weight Watchers again. I am still keeping the principles of the Vegan section of TKD, but am also counting WW Points every day.

As much as I was enjoying the freedom of not counting anything while strictly following TKD, I found that I was being too loosey-goosey about the whole thing, especially my hunger signals. And I fully intend to stop counting again at some point. But that point is far into the future, because I think that right now I need the accountability that comes with counting.

I think that WW and TKD work very nicely together!

Back to vegan (for awhile)

Being a superhero is definately not for me. Not right now, anyway! It was too stressful, even on an every other day basis.

I just adore some processed foods entirely too much to not consume them daily. And some processed foods are not that evil, such as wasa crackers.

Still going strong as a vegan, but not anywhere near macrobiotic yet, and I'm not sure that I even want to be anymore.

I love tomatoes, potatoes, and spinach. So there.

Good news? I'm down another 1.4, which brings me to a new low weight of 186.8 pounds. Very exciting! Now if I can only lose 4.8 in June, I will be down 25 for the year and right on track to my very lofty goal of losing fifty pounds in 2010. Only time and effort shall tell...