Weight Watchers day 10 - willpower

The decision to exercise willpower is a moment of truth for any dieter or recovering addict.  I had one of those moments today.  Earlier in the day I only spent points on breakfast cereal and lunch at Subway.  I took my two boys out to Pizza Hut as one of the only things they'll ever agree on is pizza.  I ordered cheesy breadsticks and the cheese lovers pizza for them and the chicken ceasar salad with dressing on the side for me. 

When the boys food arrived I could nearly taste the pizza and feel how satisfying it would be to scarf down a couple of slices and some breadsticks.  In this instance Weight Watchers gave me most of the willpower I needed.  If I'd been just "watching my weight" or "trying to cut back on carbs" I'm fairly certain I would have had a minimum of two slices and a breadstick.  I could have found a dozen ways to justify it.  I patiently waited for my order.  The chicken was grilled, I dipped into just a little dressing, and avoided most of the croutons. I figure it was about 6 to 8 points.


With Weight Watchers at this point I want results more than justifying why I ate a certain food at a certain moment.  I know many that do the program say it's important not to deny yourself constantly and allow for occasional indulgences as long as your points allow.  I'm sure I will at some point.  One technique that some people can use to control anger is to ask themselves if the situation will still make them angry in an hour, a day, or a week.  The answer is usually no.  I tried to tell myself that with the pizza too.  If I don't have it, will I still want it in an hour or later in the night.  Tonight the answer was no, and I felt good about it later.  

Weight Watchers day 9 - spice of life

Modern day Americans seek variety in many areas of life.  There is a strong supply of products and services that cater to large and small audiences.  It's common for people to have a varied tastes in literature, music, hobbies, and much more.  Food is no exception.  The American diet is such a mix of different foods that you could go weeks without repeating the same meal if you desired. 

Pre-WW I would eat so many different dishes that repeating so many of the same foods for the last eight days has started to irk me.  I made it to lunch and went to Blimpie's instead of Subway.  Not much of a difference there but it was five more points.  My wife made a reportedly delicous cheddar broccoli soup but I decided to forgo the 23 points for a medium Mexican dinner.  I went to La Granjero, a small Mexican dive on the West side of Grand Rapids, for a meat and guacamole taco, rice, and beans.  Since I hadn't eaten in over 6 hours I was satisfied but not overly full.  I felt good about the day since I was able to eat some tasty foods and stayed on budget.  Subway and salad can wait until tomorrow.

Weight Watchers Day 8 - first weigh in

After a few easy days I was frustrated to have a difficult day.  Everything started well as I weighed in 5 lbs. lighter than my original weight.  My points allowance went from 49 to 46.  I went to Moe's again for lunch and that took up half my points for the day.  By dinner I was hungry, and later wanted to snack.  I went slightly over budget, but my activity points brought me back to even.

My plan is to lose another 5 lbs. this week.  Tomorrow I'll lunch at Subway and have a mostly carb free dinner.  Today was an aberration.

Weight Watchers Day 7

Today my wife told me that my face looked "a lot" skinnier.  She did a double take and retracted that statement and said it looked "skinnier".  Whether it's a lot or not I consider that progress.  A friend I saw about six weeks ago mentioned that I looked different or smaller or something like that.  I believe the fat that is most attached to the skin is the first to go.  I think I once read that the reason the mid-section carries a lot of excess weight is that is where so many organs are located. 

I'm looking forward to a weigh-in tomorrow and trying to manage my hopes.  I've had no issues coming in under budget.  Tonight I even drank a beer and ate some banana creme pie and still made it.

Weight Watchers Day 6

Today I felt a disharmony between my mind and body.  Normally they are aligned when to think about and then eat food.  If the body hunger perks up first then the mind quickly agrees or vice versa.  Or sometimes it happens simultaneously.  Today my mind was telling me that I was hungry but my body did not agree or react to the urgings of my mind.  It was mid-afternoon.  At that point in the day I'd had a banana and cereal for breakfast and Subway (again) for lunch.  I felt like I could go hours more with out eating.  Eventually we sat down to dinner and had tilapia, shrimp, and some grilled vegetables.  Later when watching the UM vs. ND football game I had popcorn and a rum and diet coke.  I've been mostly free of cravings.
Tomorrow I'll hope to keep up the positive momentum.

Weight Watchers day 5 - Parsley Mediterranean Grille

Another day, hopefully another few ounces away.  Feeling confident that I would come in under budget again, I had bacon and sausage with two eggs this morning.  I had the Doritos, not Sun Chips or Baked Lays, with my 6 inch Subway sandwich.  This put me in a slightly compromised position for dinner, but I was able to cope.  My wife and I ate dinnner at Parsley Meditteranean Grille.  I ordered the shrimp kebob, house salad, and grilled vegetables.  It was served with a pita, which I did eat.  The food was tasty enough, but I didn't have that full or overfull feeling that I normally get eating out.  I suppose I ate like a "normal", healthy person.

The owner lady walked by and I asked her where the food was from.  She said it was Mediterranean, which I'd already surmised from the name of the place.  But where in the Mediterranean?  She said it was all Lebanese food except for the gyros which are from Greece.  She mentioned the gyros almost dismissively, but her business savvy showed in admitting that they are top sellers.  I though it made good business sense in how she promoted the fare.  A Lebanese restaurant might be viewed as too ethnic for this Midwestern town.
Meditteranean conjures up images of wine, cruise ships on blue waters, Italy, and Greek isles.

I recommend Parsley if you like Lebanese/Greek type food.

Weight Watchers day 4 - Beware the Queso

At lunch today I planned to swim but the pool was closed because of contamination.  This afforded me the time to try something different than Subway.  I decided to go to Moe's for a Joey Jr. burrito.  As I was going to pay the cashier I noticed to me the preceding customers had ordered Queso, or so I thought.  As she put my order together I noticed a Queso being readied.  I asked her what it was and she said "Queso."  When I looked at it quizzedly she elaborated, "It's free today and tomorrow."  I said I didn't want it.  She looked confused for a few seconds because apparently she hadn't had that response yet.

I went on to enjoy my burrito, chips, and drink.  Later I looked up the nutritional info Moe's website for a cup of Queso.  It's the worst calorie for calorie food I've ever seen for fat and sodium content.

Nutritional Info

info

Add Ons & Extras

Amount Per Serving
Calories 460 Calories From Fat 350

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 39g 60%

Saturated Fat 23g 115%

Trans Fatty Acids 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 115mg 38%

Sodium 1760mg 73%

Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 2g

Proteins 18g

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 0%

Iron 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet

I think it's great that Americans have the freedom to eat something like this consequences be damned.  But I don't think Moe's should just be ladling it out and giving it away.  Or maybe they could just call it what it is, "Bowl of Salty Fatty Cheese", instead of the cute sounding Spanish translation.  It really has no redeeming nutritional quality.  I think it would be worse than McDonald's giving away a large fries and ice cream to every paying customer.  Fortunately I was on Weight Watchers at the moment and didn't accept it as I likely would have eaten it as a complement to my tortilla chips. 

Weight Watchers day 3

Although I made it through the day comfortably under budget on points, there were some warning signs that I must overcome tomorrow and beyond.  First was the peanut butter craving I had in the morning.  I used to often have peanut butter on toast as a mid-morning snack.  I would justify it as a healthy alternative to a big M&M cookie.  The other warning sign is that I'm already tired of eating carrots, green beans, cantaloupe, and especially salad.  I've also had Subway for lunch three straight days.  I can't possibly eat it again tomorrow.

Tomorrow I need to mix it up a bit and try some different foods.  Old habits die hard!

Weight Watchers Day 2

Based on my current size Weight Watchers has been kind enough allot me 49 points per day, and an additional 49 that I can draw from over the course of the week.  It almost seems too easy at this point.  I can eat breakfast of cereal with milk, have all the fruits and veggies I want during the day at no cost, go to Subway for lunch, have dinner, and then another bowl of cereal at night.  Throw in a little exercise and I've been under budget two days in row.

Like fasting I know that it's easy to get through the early stages.  At some point my mind and/or body is going to revolt against these behavior changes and urge me to return to my previous ways.  That what will determine my success more so than how I do in the first day or two.  I think these are the easiest of all.

Weight Watchers Day 1

I'm 5 foot 11 and weigh 230 lbs.  According to the BMI, 179 lbs is the high part of the normal range for a 5'11" male.   When I was in college I weighed between 175 and 185 lbs.  I've added pounds steadily since I was 24 years old.

I could go on about the sedentary lifestyle, the food industry, advertising, and the like but I won't.  I am going to focus on sticking to this program until I get the results I need.  On this first day I followed it and stayed within the parameters.  I hope you'll read along as I go and do the same if you need to.  I could write a book about why I need to do this.  I did WW many years and 20 lbs. ago and it worked well.  I'm expecting the same from WW this time and more from myself to see this through.