Weight Watching

I’ve had an up and down sort of week. I lost 5.8 pounds at my weigh in on Friday, which is simply amazing! I was ecstatic.

But, then on Monday I simply lost all control and went over my points the same happened Tuesday. I stopped even counting my points in horror. I shoke myself out of it and explored WeightWatchers.com for advice about what to do after a pig out fest. I saw a suggestion to track everything no matter what, so I decided to go back and try to remember everything I didn’t include. Turns out all is not lost. On Weight Watchers, you get so many points a day, and then 35 points a week, you can use or not use and use anytime you’d like. From what I could remember, I still have a few of those extra points left, but just in case I forgot something, I’m just not going to use anymore of those this week.

I’m sure I’ll be paying for this at my weight in Friday. Anyone have any advice for getting back on track after a pig out session?

I lost one pound this week. I was upset. I thought at first weight would just melt off of me. And, I know, I should be excited, a pound is a pound, but I’m hoping for better this week.

This week, I had a lot of experience with eating out and eating on the run and thought I’d share what I learned.

We went to a hotel for three days, and I prepared ahead. I’ve found preparation to be the biggest help when not eating at home.

For the hotel, I booked a hotel with a fridge and microwave. On the Weight Watcher’s Web site, I looked up snack ideas. I packed plenty. From Progresso soups to turkey jerky (which is actually good by the way, my fiance loved it!). I never pass on anything free, so I had to hit up the free breakfast at the hotel. I chose one boiled egg, a small serving of rice krispies, and some fruit.

I learned this week you really can find something to eat anywhere. I use my BlackBerry to look up meal and snack ideas and record points, but you could always write ideas down off of the Weight Watcher’s Web site before your trip.

We took my Mom out for her birthday and she picked a local hole-in-the-wall bar and grill. I was nervous about finding something to eat. I had to again prepare, and my BlackBerry again was quite handy, but I ended up with a chicken sandwich and salad, all for about 12 points.

I’m finding I like Weight Watchers because ultimately it just pushes moderation (a good thing) and making healthier choices.

Driving up to my weekly meeting, I was overcome by a feeling of dread. What if when I weighed in I hadn’t lost a single pound or worse gained? Needless to say, I was blown away by the results. I lost 4.5 pounds!*

I had nibbled on movie theater popcorn, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and not formally worked out. How the hell did I lose weight?

Moderation baby. The very first night on the program (I’m counting points, meaning I used a Weight Watcher’s formula to see how many points I get and then add up everything I eat throughout the day), my fiance wanted to go to a movie. I love movie theater food, and so I used my BlackBerry to search for something to eat. I discovered a kids portion popcorn was only 5 points. And the portion seemed huge.

My other greatest food find was the little Ben and Jerry’s one serving cups. They’re only about 6 points each, and I just can’t give up my ice cream.

I like how sensible the program is. Pretty much it forces you to eat smaller portions and in moderation because of the point allotment. Well, obviously, you’re then going to turn more to filling and nutritious foods like fruit and veggies because you don’t want to go hungry. All common sense, but difficult to do without the tracking.

Now onto week two!

*Weight loss above 2 pounds a week isn’t recommended and is considered unhealthy. However, you can still be healthy and lose more than that the first few weeks.

Here’s what I had for dinner tonight… My fiance tells me it was delicious. I, on the other hand, have a nasty cold, so we’ll have to try this one again!

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

1 20 oz package of frozen spinach thawed and drained

1 package of fresh mushrooms,sliced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c red pepper, diced

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup part skim ricotta

4 eggs

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Saute the onion, garlic, and pepper for five minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. While that’s cooking, beat the eggs, ricotta, cheddar and salt and pepper. Add spinach and mushroom mixture and the tbsp of flour. Spray a 9 inch pie plate and transfer mix to pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through and nice color on top.

Serves: 6

Points per serving: 5

Attended my first meeting Friday. I was a little terrified to walk in, and absolutely petrified to get on the scale. The weigh in wasn’t good, but the receptionist cheered me up a bit. When he saw my shoulders slump, he asked what was the matter, when I told him, he said to just think of it this way, “you’ll never weigh this much again.” I loved his optimism.

More about the meeting in a minute. But, I’ve also decided on a posting schedule for this blog. Over the weekend, I’m going to write up notes and pointers from both my weekly meeting and my observations throughout the week, and mid-week I’ll post one of my favorite recipes from the week.

Back, to this week’s news and notes, for those who have never been to a meeting, thought I’d walk you through my experience. I arrived about a half hour earlier than the meeting for weigh-in time. I’m glad I did so to get comfortable and have a few extra mintues to talk to the staff. Registration was quick and painless.

I opted for the month plan, $39.95. With this, I get unlimited meetings and access to all the online tools. I also got mobile access for my BlackBerry. The BlackBerry has been  my Weight Watcher’s lifeline. I love it!

Next came weight in. I can’t quite stomach posting my actual weight, so I’ll post my weight loss each week.

After weight in I milled around until the meeting started. Basically, the group leader focused on a topic, this week was tracking your meals and food intake followed by some facilitated discussion. Each week after the meeting, the leader holds a intro session about 20 minutes long in my case for newbies like me. Glad I stayed for this.

My biggest hurdle this week so far has been going under my points. Anyone else have this problem when they first started?

I haven’t officially started Weight Watchers. My first meeting is on Friday. So, I decided I had two choices, eat like crap all week long, or try to get motivated on my own. I searched for healthy recipes today, and this is what I’m having for dinner tonight.

Southwest baked ziti

8 ounces ziti pasta - uncooked
8 ounces tomato sauce - salt free or regular
8 ounces salsa - hot or mild
3/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 cup fat-free mozzarella cheese
11 ounces canned corn - drained
4 ounces green chili peppers -drained, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free Parmesan cheese -grated

Cook pasta according to package directions, using the shorter amount of cooking time
given. Drain.
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine tomato sauce and salsa in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with half of the mozzarella cheese.
Stir in half the sauce, along with the corn, chilies, oregano, and pepper.
Add the cooked ziti and mix well.
Spoon into prepared casserole. Spread remaining sauce over top of casserole, then
sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and then Parmesan cheese.
Cover and bake 20 minutes.
Uncover and continue to bake 15 more minutes.

5 points per serving

It’s time to take the rhetorical question I ask myself every morning, “When am I going to start working on this whole weight problem?” and turn it into a serious goal. I’ve started this blog to both get support and hold myself accountable.

Some of you might know me or have found my from my wedding/bridesmaids blog, three times a bridesmaid.  For those of you not familiar with that blog, I’m getting married in the Fall of2010. I started that blog after realizing I was about to be a bridesmaid for the third time and was still single, but that’s another story, head over to that blog if you want to read more.

I’ve slowly been gaining weight since meeting my husband to be. And, while shifting through wedding sites and looking at pictures of smiling brides, I soon realized if I didn’t do something soon I was about to be waddling down the aisle, puffing on a cigarette the whole way most likely. Hence, my recommitment to my health and weight.

I’ve done this before. I was a fat kid, and a large teenager. In college, I got serious about my health and went on a serious weight loss kick. I kept the weight off for the most part until I met my fiance and am back to the part of being a beached whale on the big day.

From the title of my blog, you’ve probably guessed it, I’ve decided to try the Weight Watchers program. I know a lot of people who’ve had success with it, and will be attending my first meeting next week.

I’ll be posting an update about the program and my personal weight loss successes and disappointments each week after my Weight Watchers meeting.