Fast Forward a few months and we are now in October. My birthday is in a week and I'll be turning 26. I haven't made much progress since my last post. Actually, I've altogether fallen off the wagon since my last post. Fortunately, I didn't gain any weight, but the point was to lose and that's why I'm back!
I've spent the last couple weeks adjusting into new eating habits and I believe I'm ready to start anew with a somewhat different approach. I'm basically following both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig's programs, only better because I'm not paying any membership fees! Due to time and budget constraints I found that, for the time being, this might be my best option. I was on Jenny Craig back in 2007 and I actually lost 20lbs on it, but that's a little harder to follow if you're not a member because they control your eating with their name brand meals, whereas with Weight Watchers doesn't give you so much the convenience of having already a prepped meal waiting for you (which at this point in time, I really need).
So, as of yesterday I've been seriously tracking my points. I've stocked up my fridge full of frozen meals (most of which conveniently already have the Points Plus labeled, but for those that don't I have a website in which you can input the nutritional information and it'll calculate the points for you!) and healthy snacks like carrots and yogurt. I finally have my own scale to keep track of my weight on and I just changed the filter in my brita pitcher.
The only crucial thing now is working in some exercise, which I'm hoping will come once I've settled into the program a little more. But in the week or so that I've been adjusting (i.e. weening myself off fast food) I have already noticed that I've lost a pound.
So, here it is:
My starting weight is 200lbs.
My daily intake points are 33 per day.
My goal is to lose 20lbs by the end of the year, but my ultimate goal is to lose 50lbs before summer, so I can look good in my costumes for the summer conventions ;)
Here is a sample menu:
BREAKFAST
Small bowl of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios) - 4
Almond Milk - 2
LUNCH
(Ideally I'd love to throw in a salad here, but couldn't afford the fixings this week)
Salad - 3-5
or
Frozen Meal - 7-9
SNACK
Yogurt - 3
and/or
Granola Bar - 5-6
or
Carrots - 0
or
Edamame - 2
DINNER
Frozen meal - 7-9
DESSERT
Kit Kat - 2 (1pt per bar)
This is just a loose plan and obviously I would pick the foods with points that wouldn't surpass 33 per day.
I've purchased veggie patties and frozen veggies for days when I have a little more time and energy to cook something a little more personalized. If there are ever days where there's a specific recipe or dish I want to cook I will purchase fresh ingredients day of, or before, depending on my schedule, but generally opt not to keep fresh foods stocked to avoid letting them go to waste. So, don't purchase it unless you KNOW you're going to eat it in the next couple days.
If you would like to join me on my self-motivated "Weight Watchers" journey, here are the links you'll need:
-Daily Target
-PointsPlus Calculator
Now, my friend has an Android phone, which apparently has a free (non-WW) PointsPlus calculator, so she's lucky to have one on her at all times. However, my stupid Crackberry does not cater to me as much, so for those of you who are as unlucky as me, although have access to a calculator, this website tells you the mathematic formula of calculating your points. A little more time consuming, but if you're serious, it's a handy tool to have.
If that's not something you think you'll stick to, another option is to research points of foods you're thinking about eating while dining out. This site provides Points AND PointsPlus information for Fast Food (I haven't actually searched for other restaurants so it might even provide more).
If you have any questions, comments, or tips, don't hesitate to contact me! Please support me in my journey!
