I'm Almost There

I'm on the home stretch. I can see the finish line in front of me. I'm only steps away, or should I say, pounds away. I can smell it. Victory is about to be mine!

When I started this quest to lose twenty pounds, I didn't actually think I'd do it without the help of lipovox, hoodia, or some other fancy product. Honestly, I didn't really even believe I could lose the weight. I like to eat and it wasn't like my health was in danger. I just felt sluggish, out of shape, and just plain old fat. I was carrying baby weight from nine years earlier. I had stopped getting any real exercise. My clothes looked very sloppy. I had plenty of reasons to lose it.

When a friend introduced me to her secret (Weight Watchers), I thought hey, I can do that. Again, I didn't actually think I would lose it because I didn't think I had the wheel power to say no to all the foods I loved (that were unhealthy or really fatty). Imagine my delight when I learned that with WW, I could eat anything I wanted as long as I was willing to count the cost. I didn't have to give up mashed potatoes. I could still eat queso. Chocolate cake, come over here. I didn't even have to give up my beloved Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pop Tarts! I could eat all of those things. The catch was that I had to evaluate what I put into my body and figure out how to eat those things in moderation so that I could still drop the weight. It was so much easier than I ever imagined it would be. I think I started near the end of February and I've lost 15 1/2 lbs. to date. It has come off more slowly than I had hoped for but that's because we've had several health issues with our family in these past months(my BIL passed away suddenly, MIL had a severe heart attack, and my grandmother's health has been declining rapidly). During a few of those times, I've returned to "emotional eating" status. All in all though, it has been easy, and fun. I should also mention that my hubby has been on the diet with me and has lost over 30 lbs.

So, what did we do differently? Well, we followed the WW Flex Plan guidelines (which included eating appropriate portion size), started using at least 90% lean meat, cut down egg and oil use (using mostly egg whites and healthy oils), cut down our sugar consumption (this was my BIG problem area), started drinking more water, and learned to recognize the signs of eating due to boredom, stress, or emotion. It really was that simple. I paid more for lean meats but I found that because we ate correct portions, it didn't really cost us any more in the end. Oh, and fast food, we just said no to most of it. We picked places that we knew had healthy food choices. The thing is, we could still eat at McDonald's and those places. We did simple things such as eating a side salad in place of fries. It's amazing how many calories and fat grams you cut by simply doing that.

I've decided to lose a little more than originally planned. I have about 7 lbs. more that I'd like to drop. I've always heard the last few pounds are the hardest to get off but I hope I can do it quickly. I know there are several of you who are trying to do this too and I just want to tell you to hang in there. Sometimes I know it feels like you'll never get there but you will. The coolest things will start to happen too.....like yesterday, I went to try on some pants and had to go 2 sizes smaller than I normal. That was a cool feeling! So stick with it and you'll feel so much better in the end. If I can do it, anyone can do it!