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Sheena

This week has gone so much more smoothly than the first few days of following the Weight Watchers lifestyle.

The cravings are subsiding, saying no is getting increasingly easier and food is not dominating my life.

And, thankfully, the scale reflected that this week.

The number: 259.2.

That's two full pounds, and I'm totally thrilled about it. That number alone was worth passing up the treats that tempted me throughout the week, which wasn't really that painful.

I'm excited to see what next week's number brings.

Onward and Downward!

The Weight Watchers points system is pretty smart.

Yes, I am now figuring out calories and points, but it seems like a heck of a lot less work than tallying just calories.

And, it's shown me why fiber is now my new favorite food ingredient.

I was at my parent's house this weekend around breakfast time. I knew that I had a dinner party waiting for me that night, so I wanted to save as many points as possible for the delicious food I knew was coming.

After rummaging through my family's cupboards, I found a box of shredded wheat. The slogan on the back was "Why diet hungry?"

I have never been a big fan of unsweetened shredded wheat, but I figured, why not give it a try. I measured out a bowl, and began eating. It wasn't too terrible, but I realized I made the mistake of letting the last few spoonfuls get soggy. However, I still managed to choke it down.

Then I witnessed a miracle.

I wasn't hungry all day long. I didn't have any cravings or hankerings. I wasn't tempted by my siblings' lunches. I actually felt full for hours.

It was amazing.

The next day, I went to the grocery store with my handy iPhone points calculating app and compared the sweetened and honey nut versions with the plain kind and found out they equal the same amount of points. I picked up a couple of the flavored boxes and drove it home.

I ate the same thing, and the miracle occurred again. I had slept in a bit and gone to the store, so the cereal was more for lunch than breakfast, but it kept me totally full until dinner later that night.

I even had enough energy to go night swimming at 24 Hour Fitness, with the whole pool to myself.

This was really the first weekend in a long time that I was in strict control of what I ate. In the past, I was great during the workweek, but really struggled during my significantly less-structured weekends.

Looks like I'll be eating a lot more shredded wheat in the future. If anyone has any suggestions for low-point, high-hunger-satisfaction foods, please, let me know!

Onward and Downward!

I'm totally digging this points system that Weight Watchers has.

I've downloaded an app to my iPhone that calculates points for me and lets me keep a daily log of the points I've consumed.

The flexibility it allows is great, and keeping a running log throughout the day has really helped me stay on goal.

I didn't expect to see much change in this weigh-in as I only started doing the points system on Monday, and I was right.

The number: 261.2.

Yes, it's the exact same as last week, but I'm not discouraged. It's been three days. I know next week will show a drop. I've been feeling good on this new plan. Yes, the first two days my stomach was a little grumbly and wanted to eat more, but that seems to have passed. I also have a strict "no eating after dinner" rule I'm following, and that's working well.

Also, the pool has been great. It's totally relaxing, and I'm excited to start getting some more muscle tone back.

Onward and Downward!

For my 27th birthday, I got two gifts for myself:

The first, a new swimsuit, as my last one has apparently disappeared into the ether.

The second, I signed up for Weight Watchers with my mom.

The swimsuit, I immediately used, spending about 50 minutes in the pool and swimming about three-quarters of a mile. Sunday was a busy day for me, with friends, family and work all coming together to make for a hectic day. But I carved out the hour I needed to get into the pool and work out. While I felt bad about having to tell some people I couldn't spend time with them Sunday, it felt good to prioritize myself.

When I got into the pool, all three lanes were taken, but I slipped in and shared a lane. My only thought was this: I have a million excuses I can tell myself for not getting in the pool, but only one reason to do it: because I need to.

I need to because not only do I want to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see, but I want to be able to look in that mirror for decades to come. I know that if I don't take care of this now, I'm never going to.

So that brings me to my second birthday gift, and what that means for me.

I now have my mom (who is a small woman but has been wanting to get rid of some unwanted weight) to act as that partner I haven't had for a long while. We can keep each other in check, and I hate more than anything disappointing my parents. I know that she and I will be good for each other in sticking to our points and to encourage each other to work out.

I'm at a place in my life where I need to be accountable to myself, too. I'm giving myself this last chance to make this work. I know I can do it. I've done it before. I've had major life disruptions pull me off my path, but I've learned from that experience that there's always a major life interruption that I can use as an excuse to not take care of myself.

I've got to stop giving myself excuses. As crazy as it may drive you as readers, it drives me much more so that I have chosen not to get myself together. I have plenty of friends who have been able to do this, and I'm worth it just as much as they are.

If I can wake up at the crack of dawn for a math class, I can find an hour to get to the gym. So, this is it. I'm either going to lose this weight this time, or deal with being a fat woman with a high chance of major health problems waiting for me and a shortened life.

It's do or die.

And I don't want to be dying anytime soon.

Onward and Downward!

What a long day. This is the first time I've had at the computer after running between interviews, meetings and cranking out a few dailies for the paper.

I drove home last night and picked up my scale.

The number: 261.2.

It's only a pound, I know.

And after conversations I've had with readers, and a deeply thoughtful post from Michael, I've decided that I'm not happy with that weight, or that weight loss. It's not what I want. I don't want to be worrying about the health impacts carrying this much weight around can bring. I want to be able to live a long and happy life.

It came to me last night as I looked at my priority list that I can't enjoy any of those things if I'm not in good health. This has to be the top priority. That means hitting the gym. That means restricting calories. That means prioritizing what I need to do for me ahead of what I need to do for others, something I've always struggled with.

Setting priorities is always a struggle, but once I do, all the superfluous stuff falls away. I have to remember the goals I set when I first started on this. I know I'm healthier and more active than when I started, but I still have a long way to go, and I want to go that distance. Now, it's just a matter of actually putting one foot in front of the other.

Onward and Downward!

I just got a call from a woman who has followed my blog for the past three years.

She tells me she's done. It's 12:28 p.m. and I haven't posted my weight. And every week, I have an excuse for not posting in a timely manner.

She was frustrated, disappointed and angry. Her one question, "Have you let all your priorities slip to the back burner?"

I couldn't answer her.

After she hung up after a dispirited "good luck," I've sat at my desk for last 30 minutes mulling her question over.

I wrote a list of my priorities. They fell out like this:

Family
Work (both jobs plus my fairly regular babysitting gigs)
School (including homework time and making sure I'm in bed early enough to get up early for class)
Friends
Me

I've got to put myself back in that mix. I've been good about planning healthy, low-fat meals. I just haven't gotten to the gym in a long time. And that's got to stop.

I'm housesitting at a colleague's house for the next three weeks, and that means I have a whole house to myself. There's no reason I can't be working out at least at home for 30 minutes a day. I promise to bring The Shredder with me and do it every night before bed. I've got to get my priorities straight, as this woman was frustrated enough to call me up and remind me.

If I can find a way to balance all the other craziness in my life, I can find a way to squeeze in a 30-minute workout.

Due to the housesitting, I didn't grab my scale last night. I'll grab that along with the workout DVD and make sure to weigh-in tomorrow.

Onward and Downward!