ProPoints

So today was my first day tracking ProPoints on the new system. Most of my saved recipes didn't convert, but since I didn't have too many of them I just deleted them. I figure that I will learn more about the new plan by entering and calculating recipes again and let's face it, I hardly ever cook the same thing more than once, and never exactly the same way.

So, how do I feel about the new plan? Mostly I'm feeling positive about it. I really get the feeling that it is based in true and current scientific research on weight loss. I think that there is still more for me to learn about how a body processes and uses different kinds of foods and I think that by learning the new plan I will learn the best things for my body.

I love that fruit has moved to point free! But I can't help but think this is cheating somehow :)

I'm worried that it will be too hard for me to adjust to the new points calculation after so long on the old points program. All my built in estimation I have developed is now out the window and so I kinda feel like I'm starting from square one. I think this will be the kick up the butt I need to start the next phase of weight loss off right. At least I am determined to take it that way!

I really like the idea of weekly points, especially compared to points borrowing which I never managed to do honestly :P I think it will help me see occasional treats as good and normal not as failures or weakness.

My online tracker did not convert seemlessly which is a dissapointment as I mentioned. The database has changed in more than just the points values - they've changed some of the entries. For example, I had chicken stock cubes in one recipe and the database now has it listed as 'stock cubes, chicken' or something and I would have had to go through and find all those things myself. How annoying.

I'm feeling a little sceptical that WW are just out to get more of my money (but that's silly - so far the fees haven't changed:) Maybe there were too many knock offs available on the market. But, truth is its probably more accurate. I had found that sometimes I was staying within my points and still not loosing weight. It seemed to matter HOW I spent the points as well, so maybe the new plan has accounted for this.

Will it change my eating habits? I think so. Take breakfast for example, my cereal is still the same, which is good, oatmeal seems to have gone down ?! thats cool. But my occasional comfort breakfast of french toast and maple syrup will now cost me a lot more points that it did before. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to use weekly points for that one, maybe that's a plan.

Anyway, how are the rest of you finding ProPoints? I kinda wish I could go to a meeting and get a bit of a presentation on it, but such is life...

PS. I hear theres an iPhone app for this one? Should check that out.

hypnosis for weight loss

A while back I was reading on the WW message boards and someone mentioned a weight loss hypnosis program with the comment: "what can it hurt?". Initially my reaction was something along the lines of "that silly girl, weight loss is gonna take more work than she thinks it will", and if what your looking for is a quick fix hypnosis not going to help. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to realise how hopeless people must feel when they don't have God to turn too, or have forgotten they can, or are not willing to. Because just like anything in life, there is a spiritual dynamic to weight loss too. We are spiritual beings, and we search for spiritual significance in everything we do. I think generally, people are aware of this again in our day. Which is why personally, I think there is potential danger in hypnosis for weight loss. Think about it this way, you are turning over control of your eating habits to an unknown entity, or spiritual reality. Its the spiritual equivilent of opening your front door to strangers. It can hurt. But more to the point - weight loss success will have more to do with learning to control yourself and your food habits than handing over control to someone else. Along these lines, there is a verse in the new testament where 'self-control' is listed among the fruits of the Holy Spirit of God. What this means is when I relinquish control of my life to God I don't become a puppet, because one of his purposes in my life is to help teach me and give me self-control. So, unlike hypnosis, turning to God the creator will not mean giving up control, but rather gaining it. And, you can know the God who you are turning to, he's done everything nessisary so we can approach him directly, so unlike hypnosis, you are not relating to an unknown spiritual reality, but a loving, caring Father. And there's one other advantage. If God created our bodies then he knows exactly how they run the best, so there is no one better to ask for weight loss advice.

settling in

Had a STS (stay the same) this week, well technically a loss of .1 but not like that counts. I'm actually not disapointed as I didn't put in a lot of effort. I was in control, and allowed some treats this week. I guess I slacked off a bit. The good thing to realise is that this is the amount of effort that I will need to put in in order to not regain weight once I reach my goal. It is still effort, and it takes conscious control not to gain, and even more to loose.

I wrote a bit of a metaphor for someone in an email this week comparing loosing weight to loosing an accent. Having experience in both I can confidently say that they are equally hard. And interesting they both carry heavy prejudice in the workplace and in society.

Putting in loss-type effort so far this week. Gonna be a good one!

got away with it

Well, I lost .2kg Got away with it, but barely, and I am not celebrating. I'm glad I didn't throw in the towel on the whole week. That was what I was tempted to do. Starting today I am planning to have a good week of tracking, and I'm going to water aerobics tonight. Thanks Effie for your encouragement! Your accountability kept me out of the chocolate last night :)

Ps. The picture is one of my recent favourites that a friend took :)

Nervous :S

Happy Anniversary to us! 8 years hubby and me, two kids and lots of great memories together. I now weigh what I think I would have weighed around our wedding. I don't really know, I used to avoid scales like they might kill me! And my wedding dress is back in Australia so can't even try that on right now. Friend of mine was looking at our wedding pictures recently and she said I'm now smaller than I was then, but I'm not sure.

So, we went out, and I had a seafood platter that was just seafood and veggies no sign of butter and sauce on the side only, so that should have been fairly points friendly. In Australia or Canada apparently I probably could have looked up a restraunt's online menu and worked out the actual points! No such thing here of course, but like I've said many times - that is never going to be my excuse. But I know I blew it on the appetisers Chicken wings? Stupid move, and I did have garlic bread :( Bad, Bad. It gets worse -

Canadian thanksgiving was this week. I used the small plates and only filled it once. But I did have pie too. And I didn't track ANY of it!! :( No idea of the damage. Trying to not go into that "this week is totally shot might as well stuff it!" mode, just trying to pull it together and finish off the week well.

My cheaters WI this morning though did not look promising. Any chance I can fix this by monday? Not likely because this weekend's schedule doesn't look like I'm going to be able to fit in any water aerobics.

Feeling nervous. I'll post monday and let you know the damage done and decide whether it was worth it.

broke 90kg!

Did my Monday morning WI this morning. I weigh in at home because I do online only. 89.7 very happy with that!

Little sad to say goodbye to one more point a day :( Guess I'll get used to it :(

Couple months after I started WW 18months ago, my husband asked my what goal was my personal goal because the 71 set by WW was just to hard to imagine. I told him 90kg. And that's where I am this morning - and this is not the end! I can actually picture 71 now and I know I have what it takes to get there!

Somehow I know I will have to read this myself in about a week when I'm feeling discouraged again, but having felt it and wrote it here helps :)

gain again :(

Yes, I did gain this week, and a lot!!! :( Monday morning weigh in was back up to 91.6!! Felt awful. Couple of things happened this week but it wasn't going over my points that got me. I think that last weeks huge loss was not actually real, just as I suspected after being sick my body fought back to an equalibrium. So some of that loss was not actual loss, and also some of this monday's gain was not actual gain either, just a bit bloated as I weighed in at 91.0 the next morning. Thank goodness for mid-week checks! It helps me understand that ups and downs from day to day as much as a kilo are just normal and part of this whole game. THe point is to keep going, changes are only visable in the long term, like monthly, but habits are formed in the daily. So on one hand I'd like to say I'm only going to weigh in once a month, but on the other hand I know that that won't keep me motivated daily. Weekly is probably the best balance.