Two years later -- not on WW (actually deleted my app) I actually weigh about the same as my last weigh-in (211 lbs) and I'm OK with that -- I'm keeping track of my exercise and health with my apple watch. I try to "close my rings" every day. I'm able to do that just going to work.
Yeah I have a regular job -- 30 hrs a week plus library school (and that seems enough for now) but at some point I'll be working fulltime and I'll integrate some sort of exercise regime into that whether it's walking or biking part of the way to work.
After so much time working on WW I think it does work for many folks. For me, it's too much like work. Obsessing about going up or down a pound is not for me. Feeling bad about having a treat is not for me. If I came out of the pandemic with anything learned is that it's not worth it to obsess about anything like that. Feel good. Everything (includuing moderation) in moderation.
We'll see if this gets updated. I've restarted my i-5 Nomads blog -- we'll see if I update anything else. I haven't updated my main blog since I got my MA in May 2022. We'll see! We'll see!
Is blogging a thing anymore? I don't know. I still read the occassional blog. I'm not worrying about it. I read what I read.
Take care and hope everyone is doing alright. Stay safe in the world.
Friday, May 3, 2024
Friday, April 1, 2022
Week 5 Weigh-in
screenshot from my WW app...
- Whole wheat pasta
- Eggs
- No Sugar Added Applesauce
- Veggies
- Fruit (most fruits)
I've gotten into the habit of cutting my rice crispy treats in half -- only 2 points that way and I still get a little something sweet.
We're coming out of COVID a little at a time (it has yet to be seen how the new BA.2 variant of Omicron hits the Bay Area -- so masking up out in public and not just on the bus or in shops where required). It's yet to be seen when I may head to Florida to visit my mom -- but I'll be wearing a mask out there for sure!! There's still time though. Nothing concrete.
Friday, March 11, 2022
Week 2 Weigh-in:
Week 2 Weigh-in:
- week 02: 215.0 (11 Mar)
- week 01: 215.8 (04 Mar)
This week I ended up using several weeklies -- not a fan of that. If you need your weeklies to get through your day, maybe you're not eating enough "for you" on this plan?? I mean some folks need more than 19 points a day to survive?
One Issue: Baked Goods.
We use the "Too Good to Go App" --which I *love* -- it allows you to pick up a "surprise bag" from participating cafes, restaurants, and markets for a very reasonable price. You rescue food that wasn't sold that day and get to enjoy a snack or meal (usually enough to share) for as little as $3.99 -- depending on where/what is offered.
Before going back on plan, we would hit up the local cupcake place or one of a couple donut shops -- we shared the things but they're still pastries. So not doing that so much anymore -- but it seems more purveyors of baked goods participate in our area, so that's frustrating.
2nd issue: dried fruit.
We don't get a lot of fresh fruit -- it can be pricy (outside of bananas) so having a variety of dried fruit can be an option -- cranberries, apricots, mangoes... but these all cost points when you're on plan.
3rd issue: coffee drinks.
I got 'hooked' on Starb*cks Pink Drinks -- so that's not an option really for me anymore. I guess it's a good thing I like iced tea. I haven't figured out quite what I can have at Peet's -- Sugar-Free Vanilla Iced latte is still OK -- but not much else in the way of drinks. More research!
4th issue: Sleep.
I continue to not get very good sleep. I *do* take a Melatonin before I go to bed which helps me get to sleep. I continue to wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes stay up -- not awake enough to work on schoolwork but not sleepy enough to be going back to sleep. I've tried that and I end up staring at the ceiling or repositioning for comfort -- end up getting up for a while anyway.
The Plan:
- Keep working on avoiding high-point food like bakery croissants
- Try and drink at least one cup of water a day -- work for more
- Sleep... sleeping through the night, especially.
That's all for now, I guess.
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Post-Pandemic Return
After two and a half years -- we're getting back on-program (using the app). The Sean seems to be getting out and about and doing well -- he's getting a lot of steps in -- and for a while, I was starting to get a lot of active walking, etc., in but not losing weight. My best-comfort weight was at about 170 -- then moving upwards through shelter-in-place. Beginning Friday last week:
- start weight: 222 (26 Feb)
- after week 01: 215.8 (04 Mar)
Things I expect to have issues with:
- avoiding donuts & other things
- snacking
- poor sleep (I have terrible sleep issues)
- getting enough steps/ active walking in
Not sure what else to talk about -- the spouse probably doesn't need to be on program so I really appreciate him doing this with me. A lot of things have happened since we did the blog regular (or any blogging honestly) -- Maybe that's a subject for another post in another place, another time.
I'm still in school, so this was just a quick break while I contemplate content for my CSS homework.. then I was like "Oh yeah, I used to blog A LOT!" and then "OH! I forgot about the weight watchers blog!" and finally, "Hey we just got back on program, maybe I should post about that!" We'll see how regular we are about it!
Monday, April 11, 2016
The New Weight Watchers
Last Fall, WeightWatchers revamped their weight loss and control program from PointsPlus to SmartPoints. Unfortunately, rather than adequately preparing their existing members for the change, they chose not to have a transition period. This may have gained them a lot of publicity and perhaps new subscribers.
In a nutshell, the changes they made were:
Because of the changes, many foods have a higher points value. (For example, Star Wars breakfast cereal was 3 points and is now 5 due to the sugar penalty.) On the other hand, some lean protein foods have a lower points value. Because of the point value changes, individual daily point targets were updated.
For me, I was a bit disappointed that they chose to do this right before Thanksgiving. Facing the portion control issues folks have going into America's eating season of Thanksgiving to New Year's is bad enough, but then having to deal with a changed program makes it all that much tougher. Beyond that, they had issues with the app and website during the roll out. It was enough for me to "fall off the wagon" so to speak. I didn't really jump back on the wagon until the 2nd week of February -- just after I had returned from my mother's funeral in Hawaii. On my weigh-in day on February 8, I clocked in at 228.4 pounds. I put on a few pounds when I visited Hawaii, so that's where I mark my start.
So, has it worked for me? Absolutely! In the nine weeks that have passed since getting back on the program, I've lost 17.5 pounds. At just under 2 pounds a week, that's a good weight loss rate without being unhealthy. Some weeks I lost more than others, but I have lost weight every week.
So, what tips do I have?
Log your food before you eat.
This helps in a couple of ways. First, it means that you've tracked your food intake, and that's the most important part of the points system. Second, it makes you think about what you're going to choose to eat. Maybe you'll decide to pick something healthier because you realize that first choice has too many points. Maybe you'll reduce the portion size. Maybe... you get the idea.
Use your weekly points.
Under the old PointsPlus, there were days where I would find myself short of the daily points target. At the same time, I'd find that if I used my weekly points, I'd not lose and sometimes even gain wait. This put me into a plateau between 225 and 230 pounds. Now, I have not encountered an issue in using up my daily points. In fact, every week I've used up all of my weekly points and still lost weight. This leads into...
Track your activity.
The daily/weekly FitPoints target encourages you to get moving. However, you need to track that. You don't need a FitBit or other tracker (but if you have one, the data can be imported into WeightWatchers and used for tracking.) At the bare bones, track your steps with a pedometer or a pedometer app. WeightWatchers recommends the built-in Health app on the iPhone or the Google Fit app for Android based phones. Because I don't keep my phone in my pocket all the time, I use Personal Trainer: Walking for my Nintendo DS (it tracks both overall steps and periods of active walking.) Note that WeightWatchers suggests that if you log more than 3,000 steps per day, you should track your active walking instead of your steps. Once you reach your weekly FitPoint goal, any extra points you earn can be added to your weekly pool (though it gets tracked separately.) This is how I was able to use up my weekly points allowance and still lose weight.
Anyway, I hope this makes sense. Ask questions if you have them.
In a nutshell, the changes they made were:
- Basic points calculation returned to a calorie based formula rather than fat/carbohydrate/protein formula.
- Penalty points (which are added to an item's point value) changed from being based on just fat to being based on saturated fat and sugar.
- Bonus points (which are removed from an item's point value) changed from being based on fiber to being based on protein.
- Activity Points became FitPoints and now had an added daily and weekly goal which you have to achieve before you can draw from them.
Because of the changes, many foods have a higher points value. (For example, Star Wars breakfast cereal was 3 points and is now 5 due to the sugar penalty.) On the other hand, some lean protein foods have a lower points value. Because of the point value changes, individual daily point targets were updated.
For me, I was a bit disappointed that they chose to do this right before Thanksgiving. Facing the portion control issues folks have going into America's eating season of Thanksgiving to New Year's is bad enough, but then having to deal with a changed program makes it all that much tougher. Beyond that, they had issues with the app and website during the roll out. It was enough for me to "fall off the wagon" so to speak. I didn't really jump back on the wagon until the 2nd week of February -- just after I had returned from my mother's funeral in Hawaii. On my weigh-in day on February 8, I clocked in at 228.4 pounds. I put on a few pounds when I visited Hawaii, so that's where I mark my start.
So, has it worked for me? Absolutely! In the nine weeks that have passed since getting back on the program, I've lost 17.5 pounds. At just under 2 pounds a week, that's a good weight loss rate without being unhealthy. Some weeks I lost more than others, but I have lost weight every week.
So, what tips do I have?
Log your food before you eat.
This helps in a couple of ways. First, it means that you've tracked your food intake, and that's the most important part of the points system. Second, it makes you think about what you're going to choose to eat. Maybe you'll decide to pick something healthier because you realize that first choice has too many points. Maybe you'll reduce the portion size. Maybe... you get the idea.
Use your weekly points.
Under the old PointsPlus, there were days where I would find myself short of the daily points target. At the same time, I'd find that if I used my weekly points, I'd not lose and sometimes even gain wait. This put me into a plateau between 225 and 230 pounds. Now, I have not encountered an issue in using up my daily points. In fact, every week I've used up all of my weekly points and still lost weight. This leads into...
Track your activity.
The daily/weekly FitPoints target encourages you to get moving. However, you need to track that. You don't need a FitBit or other tracker (but if you have one, the data can be imported into WeightWatchers and used for tracking.) At the bare bones, track your steps with a pedometer or a pedometer app. WeightWatchers recommends the built-in Health app on the iPhone or the Google Fit app for Android based phones. Because I don't keep my phone in my pocket all the time, I use Personal Trainer: Walking for my Nintendo DS (it tracks both overall steps and periods of active walking.) Note that WeightWatchers suggests that if you log more than 3,000 steps per day, you should track your active walking instead of your steps. Once you reach your weekly FitPoint goal, any extra points you earn can be added to your weekly pool (though it gets tracked separately.) This is how I was able to use up my weekly points allowance and still lose weight.
Anyway, I hope this makes sense. Ask questions if you have them.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Stressing on Points
06 JULY: 196.3
13 JULY: 193.0
3.3lb difference. In an ideal world one wants to lose about a pound a week.. but I haven't been on program for a while so often a bit of weight is lost the first week or two, depending on what one has been up to.
To be honest I didn't track a couple days this past week, I went through a bit of stress what with my laptop/bag getting stolen earlier in the week, as well a considerable dissapointment of another kind that I still am not really able to deal with at the moment, (though I suppose I will soon enough) and going out to eat yesterday for my one big meal.
Not a perfect week, but not a bad week, I managed to walk most every day. Walking to & from the library gets me about 40-50 minutes of active walking, and anything else is just bonus.. Walking to School and back is ideal, and I'll be doing that 3x a week come the Fall.
My main problem is reaching for snacks when I'm feeling stressed.. and this past week I've been a bit stressed. The other problem is getting proper meals in. When I've been at the library in the past, I don't eat. It's not that I don't want to eat, it's just a pain to leave the work I'm doing. I try to have some tea before I start and then eat when I go home or before class. The thing I need to remind myself is that no one is going to come by and ask me to get some lunch or check on me.. and why should they?? I need to find a good stopping point and remember to treat myself decent.
My daily target is now 26 points with the 49 weeklies. In a perfect world I like to use my activity points rather than the weeklies. That's my daily goal anyway.. Keep off those weeklies! Yes they are there to be used, but if I walk an hour a day, why would I need to if I'm eating healthy most of the time?? IMHO, of course.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
weighing confidence..
Around August last year I was somewhere between 170 and 180.. and feeling good about my physical well-being. Oh, I know I'm not attractive.. the face I can't help: it's functional, and I'm getting older. Oh, the weight! I was feeling OK about my weight..
I was walking a lot and feeling the difference in my joints a bit, and feeling it in the size of my clothes. Stuff I pulled out of the "too small" drawer fit comfortably. I was in a good space to keep going. Fast forward to today and I'm not that same person; not in that same place.
Some things have been good for me.. school, volunteering.. making time for trips. OtoH, my self esteem has taken a nosedive, and with it, my weight.. back toward 200.. Yesterday my logged weigh-in was 196.3 and probably would have kept going if I didn't do something.
I took a long walk. I'm going to need to take a LOT of long walks, and cut back on doughnuts and lemon bars (although I may need the latter in a pinch) The program isn't supposed to cut out naughtiness all together, but it does make you think more about what you're eating and how much.. so that's good.
The troubling thing for me is how I've gone from feeling good about myself.. even when I was heavier. I was me.. not amazing me.. but me. That person my DTLA neighbor friends knew. Ready for most anything, full of natural confidence, full of of perseverance. Lately I'm feeling more like "I dunno.." and "Should I bother??" "I don't want to be an inconvenience.." ugh. gross.
Of course I don't want to be an inconvenience! My very existance.. my being here on earth is an inconvenience, but I've been dealing with it. I'm here. I'm stuck, not going anywhere.. but I was in a good place and these last ten months, I just feel like my self-worth is being chipped away. WTF? How did I let this happen? (not to mention the vast amounts of psychic energy that I've been drained.) I don't know how it happened or if it's worth figuring out.. I could expend energy worrying about how I give over control to things or people, but that in itself seems a waste of my energy.
I could sit at home and avoid people. I've done that and honestly it didn't get me anywhere. I felt better after a day but more than that was gratuitous and I stressed out about things I couldn't know..
The thing is, sitting at home isn't going to help in the long run. I like people too much. I like being around life, living, breathing and nature.. I want to feel the earth and see the sky and the fresh air. I want to be surrounded by lovely things and people. I want to be that flaneur: observer of life that I used to be.. (maybe not so much the blogging tho.)
I want to walk til I run out of earth. I want to head out to Ocean Beach one day and hear the waves drown out the negative tapes I got playing 24/7.. I need to get seriously grounded, and I need to focus my energy on good & worthwhile people and ventures.. and learn to save something for myself.
I want to be avaiable for people when I can be, but if my efforts make no difference or my attendance makes no difference, I need to learn to get over myself and find something worth my energies... maybe treat myself to a good book, a poetry reading, or that long walk.. or spend time with a friend or aquaintance who enjoys my company too.
Losing weight (again) may help but there's other things I need to heed if I want my well-rounded confindence back that will weather any weight gain.
I was walking a lot and feeling the difference in my joints a bit, and feeling it in the size of my clothes. Stuff I pulled out of the "too small" drawer fit comfortably. I was in a good space to keep going. Fast forward to today and I'm not that same person; not in that same place.
Some things have been good for me.. school, volunteering.. making time for trips. OtoH, my self esteem has taken a nosedive, and with it, my weight.. back toward 200.. Yesterday my logged weigh-in was 196.3 and probably would have kept going if I didn't do something.
I took a long walk. I'm going to need to take a LOT of long walks, and cut back on doughnuts and lemon bars (although I may need the latter in a pinch) The program isn't supposed to cut out naughtiness all together, but it does make you think more about what you're eating and how much.. so that's good.
The troubling thing for me is how I've gone from feeling good about myself.. even when I was heavier. I was me.. not amazing me.. but me. That person my DTLA neighbor friends knew. Ready for most anything, full of natural confidence, full of of perseverance. Lately I'm feeling more like "I dunno.." and "Should I bother??" "I don't want to be an inconvenience.." ugh. gross.
Of course I don't want to be an inconvenience! My very existance.. my being here on earth is an inconvenience, but I've been dealing with it. I'm here. I'm stuck, not going anywhere.. but I was in a good place and these last ten months, I just feel like my self-worth is being chipped away. WTF? How did I let this happen? (not to mention the vast amounts of psychic energy that I've been drained.) I don't know how it happened or if it's worth figuring out.. I could expend energy worrying about how I give over control to things or people, but that in itself seems a waste of my energy.
I could sit at home and avoid people. I've done that and honestly it didn't get me anywhere. I felt better after a day but more than that was gratuitous and I stressed out about things I couldn't know..
The thing is, sitting at home isn't going to help in the long run. I like people too much. I like being around life, living, breathing and nature.. I want to feel the earth and see the sky and the fresh air. I want to be surrounded by lovely things and people. I want to be that flaneur: observer of life that I used to be.. (maybe not so much the blogging tho.)
I want to walk til I run out of earth. I want to head out to Ocean Beach one day and hear the waves drown out the negative tapes I got playing 24/7.. I need to get seriously grounded, and I need to focus my energy on good & worthwhile people and ventures.. and learn to save something for myself.
I want to be avaiable for people when I can be, but if my efforts make no difference or my attendance makes no difference, I need to learn to get over myself and find something worth my energies... maybe treat myself to a good book, a poetry reading, or that long walk.. or spend time with a friend or aquaintance who enjoys my company too.
Losing weight (again) may help but there's other things I need to heed if I want my well-rounded confindence back that will weather any weight gain.
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