Let’s Talk Diet and Perseverance: Today is my Weight Watchers’ One-Year Anniversary
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| Jennifer, a Shadow Selfie Hilton Head, South Carolina, April 2017 __________________________________ |
Perseverance
is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.
– Walter Elliot
______________________
If 5 May 2016 was the day
I decided to lose weight, then May 11 of the same year was the day I acted by
going back to Weight Watchers and committing to losing 66 pounds.
I
have been known to make promises to myself and then not do the difficult work
of following through, but this time I did.
Today,
I celebrate my one-year of perseverance, and, so far, a 62-pound weight loss.
I
have attended 52 meetings in a row, some of them away from home. I didn’t always
feel like going, especially when I had a less than stellar week and/or was on
vacation, but I have come to realize that the lousy weeks were precisely the times
I really needed those meetings.
In my 5 May 2017 post, I outlined some of the strategies I used to help me through my weight-loss journey
(so I won’t repeat them here), and I will continue incorporating them
throughout the next phase of my journey: weight maintenance.
I
still have about five pounds to lose, but I anticipate that it will take some
time to lose those last pounds. And I’m okay with that. No starvation mode
here; I have a bad habit of liking to eat and feeling satisfied afterwards.
In
my last post, I discussed about how setting continuing goals is so important,
for example: “I will maintain my goal weight for one week” (minor goal), and “I
will maintain my goal weight for one year (major goal). I also will set
non-weight goals, such as finishing “White Room,” a short story I started in
January, and weeding the junk from my house.
I
am also considering continuing weekly Weight Watchers meetings (as opposed to
the freebie monthly meetings), at least for one year after goal (even if I must
continuing paying), although I would prefer a weight maintenance group. If I
have a criticism of Weight Watchers, it’s its weak maintenance program – which seems
to be endemic of most weight-loss programs, as if one is supposed to know “how”
to maintain a healthy weight. But I can say that a maintenance group would offer
a significantly different vibe than the weight-loss meetings. However, on a
trial basis, WW is trying to address this problem by offering WW for Life
meetings. But these meetings are sporadic and may not continue.
According
to WebMD.com, successful maintainers follow these nine strategies:
1.
They do it for themselves first.
2.
They prize exercise.
3.
They get their baggage in check.
4.
They don’t go it alone.
5.
They limit their screen time.
6.
They step on the scale often.
7.
They eat breakfast.
8.
They favor fiber.
9.
They keep getting back on the wagon.
I
would add another strategy:
10. They drink plenty of water (at least 64 ounces per day) and cut back on soda, even
diet. Liquids are not all equal!
Some
additional articles on Weight Maintenance:
Nutrition.org
AuthorityNutrition.com
HuffingtonPost.com
Active.com
These
articles offer similar strategies for maintaining weight. I plan to keep
reviewing these, especially when I find myself slipping.
Have
a good day!
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