Well, accountability seems to be just what the Dr. ordered. I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting last Saturday. It was great. So many success stories...very inspiring. I downloaded the app and started tracking my points. It's been a love/hate thing. I'm already down to 176.8! I am getting plenty to eat. I'm not hungry. BUT, tracking my food is throwing in my face all my bad habits. This is good but irritating, too. It is making me quit being so lazy with food preparation but at the same time the food I make is simple and easy.
What I am pleasantly surprised about is how much food is " points-free" on the points system. I'm truly surprised. This has made it really easy to stick with. No, I can't eat pasta willy-nilly and I can't munch on chips or eat pizza the way I like... But, these foods aren't forbidden either.
The smart thing about WW is that YOU make ALL of your food. It doesn't come pre-packaged where you eat till you get to your goal then you're suddenly released to fend for yourself not knowing how to make food for your new weight. With WW, you learn what you can or can't eat, how much of it to eat and whether or not it's worth it to you. They teach food smarts. I like this and can live with it.
Those of us who were new were asked what brought us to WW and what were the biggest reasons for wanting to lose weight outside the obvious health reasons. I gotta say I felt uneasy telling my reasons. But it occurred to me that my reasons are just as valid as anyone else's. Still, it was a little awkward.
As I sat in the meeting listening to folks proclaim how proud they were that they could walk a hill in their neighborhood for the first time without hurting or they could ride their bike another mile I couldn't help but feel so happy for them. On the surface these don't seem like big achievements but they are! To someone who could barely walk to the kitchen to get another snack to be able to get out and do these things mentally and physically is incredible. It is their marathon in training. No one starts at the finish line.
But when I was asked what my reason was I really got uncomfortable explaining that I was a runner and I run half and full marathons as a fat person and that I was extraordinarily frustrated at simply not being able to get any faster because of my weight. I explained that I truly wanted to break a 5 hour marathon. I felt so weird saying this because I don't want to sound like I'm belittling others' achievements. But this is what brought me there. This is my hill, my extra mile on the bike.
I'm hoping it will show other overweight folks that they don't need to let their weight hold them back physically. They can run a marathon if that is something they want to do. Weight will only affect speed but not getting the job done.
I have a long way to go but as I said before, a journey of a 1000 miles begins with the first step.
TTFN
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