My Best Month In Years!

My final January weigh in was another 1.5 pounds, bringing the month to 9.5 pounds. That is the best month I've had in... Holy Cow, 14 years? I might have pulled it off once with Atkins induction or maybe South Beach Phase 1...but if I did, it was the end of the weight loss. Both of those plans initially gave me weight loss, but it immediately ricocheted because I couldn't stick to the plan, and the beginning weight loss was simply water.

When I did Weight Watchers back in 1998, I lost 50 pounds in something like 5-6 months. It was actually easy. Then I had some health issues arise - I had a nervous breakdown, and while mending from that, the doctor discovered a large tumor, and I had to have a hysterectomy. It wrapped up with an unhealthy depression that led to gaining back all my lost weight, plus some. I never got my mojo back. Most of it was psychological - mental barriers. Some of it was physical - PCOS with insulin resistance. So after all these years, it has come back to Weight Watchers, with a great month.


I still have to be careful with sugar and simple carbs, due to the insulin resistance, but it's easy to incorporate that in to the Weight Watchers plan. The hardest part for me is to not make my grain/starch the main portion of my meal. I'm not a vegetarian. I'm a pescatarian, but I only eat fish once or twice a week. The rest of the time, I eat vegetarian meals which can easily be carby. I still have to keep that in mind, but the WW plan is flexible enough to make it work for anybody. If I can do this - after 14 years of failed weight loss - anybody can. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the same results in February!

A New Beginning

At long last, I'm back and on track. Looking back at 2011, I just didn't have my head on straight. It's all a blur. In 2010, I lost 25 pounds. It was a nice, steady loss. Then Dad died, and my weight loss halted. It was the same time that I lost my business, and 'lost' a sibling through a disagreement. It was more than I could handle at once, and I think my life just went through the motions for the next year. 2011 had it's Ups - like my son graduating from high school, but overall there was a general cloud of sadness. By the end of December, I had gained back 17 pounds of the 25 lost, and I felt so unhealthy. My general feeling of wellness was rock bottom.

I hate 'New Years Resolutions' because I feel like I should be living with that zest all year long, not just at the start of the year. But really, I should be thankful for that annual excitement, and be glad that the buzz of it all kick starts me in to motion every twelve months. This year, I started losing weight again and as of Jan 19th, I've lost 8 pounds! That is a record for me. Pre-Hysterectomy, I could lose like that, but I've not done that in years. I'm happy! I started back to Weight Watchers, and I've really embraced the plan. I'm not doing it by the law of the plan, but by the spirit of the plan. That makes a world of difference.

I should also mention that I started on an anti-depressant after Christmas. It's not fair to make it look like I magically got my mojo back and 'you can too!' when there is something behind the curtain. I know it took ME to make it want to happen, but I was able to see that I needed help. The loneliness is still there - I will never get back what I lost, but I'm able to put one foot in front of the other with more Oomph and less tears, and that has made a big difference. And thanks to Mom, because she told me and showed me by example, that my life continues regardless of the past, and I have to be strong enough to make it better.