Since losing the weight, these are the questions I've been asked the most:
1. Did I have an "aha" moment, and if so, what was it?
- I really can't remember having an 'aha' moment. I knew I was fat and should lose weight, but it was more of a competition type of thing that got me into Weight Watchers the first time ;) That being said though, WW was not my first attempt at losing weight. About 10 years ago I was in a horrible relationship with an alcoholic and ballooned up to around 240 pounds. I lost 100 pounds on my own (not in a healthy way) but then slowly started gaining again.
2. Why Weight Watchers and how do I use my points?
- It was some co-workers that got me to join WW and as previously mentioned it was more of a competition thing at first. Once I actually started listening and learning, that's when I really had an 'aha' moment and my real journey began. I don't know if I would have had the same results with any other weight-loss program (or even if I would have had a different WW leader/group - thanks Liz!), but I can honestly say that in my experience Weight Watchers works!
- I only counted points for a month or two before I switched to the (Core) Simply Filling method. I found it was too easy to allow junky food as long as I stayed in my allotted points. With the Core plan, I focused more on the GHGs (good healthy guidelines) and eating better (Power) foods.
- It was about the time that I switched to Core that I happened upon SparkPeople.com. I wanted a way to track nutrients since I wasn't counting points. I can't even begin to explain how detrimental SP has been as far as my success! First off, it's FREE! Not only do they have food and fitness trackers, but it's a whole community of people trying to live healthy. Yes, Weight Watchers has a community section, but it's nothing like the support I found at SparkPeople. I've made lifelong friends there, and it's also SP that helped me to become a runner! Go and see for yourself, seriously. (And when you see how great it is, be sure to add me as a friend - my name there is HALFFAST.)
3. Was it hard?
- I'm not gonna lie. It was very hard at first. I was used to going out to eat a lot (mostly Chinese) and my entire "diet" consisted of mostly junk. I started with just a few things- I cut out white bread. Then I eliminated white flour. Finally I cut out sugar. The better choices I made, the easier it got!
4. When did I start working out and how often do I work out now?
- I'd like to say that I became an athlete right out of the gate, but that would be a big fat lie! I toyed with the Couch to 5k plan a couple times during my WW journey, but I didn't really become a runner until I was already at my goal weight. I did, however, use DVDs in the beginning. My favorite has always been, and will probably always be Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies 2. I also like Billy Blanks Tae Bo and the 30-day Shred (even though Jillian is a meanie! ;p). I've also recently started doing Yoga. I am working on being less uncoordinated! But mostly, I just run :)
5. What are my favorite foods?
- Granny Smith (green) apples
- Peanut butter (Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams)
- Pistachio nuts
6. What was my heaviest/lowest weight?
- My heaviest weight was around 240 (that was the highest number I saw on a scale) and that was sometime around 1999. I think I was that heavy for about 6 months. It was a dark time in my life and I have it mostly blocked out :(
- My lowest was 112 and that was last week (May 2011). It's actually a couple pounds under my goal weight, but as long as I stay above 107 I am at a healthy BMI (I'm 5'3). I generally give myself 5 pounds to play with and don't start freaking out until I see 118-119. My ultimate goal is NEVER to see 120 again!
*Edit 9/28/11: My lowest weight is now 110! I've been fluctuating between 110 and 114 this month. Probably from the extra running (I ran the Philly RnR Half-Marathon on 9/18/11!).
7. How long did it take me to get to my goal weight?
- I joined WW in September of 2008 at 184 pounds and reached goal (114) in May 2009. I've been maintaining ever since. Once I reached Lifetime I changed my WW goal weight to 119 so that I'd have those 5 pounds to play with. So basically, it took me about 8 months to lose 70 pounds. That may seem kinda fast but once I learned how to eat healthy the weight really just sort of fell off!
8. Do I have any advice for someone just getting started?
- My number one piece of advice is to keep track of every single thing that goes into your mouth! A food journal should become your BFF! The other thing I strongly recommend is to find a support system (i.e., Weight Watchers, SparkPeople, Blogging, friends/family, etc...). With courage, commitment, and belief in yourself, you can do this!
