How do you keep it off? It's really hard keeping the weight off. I learned this the hard way. I remember being in my first Weight Watchers meeting 11 years ago. At that time I was about 211lbs(eventually I got as high as 286). I only wanted to lose about 30lbs. I would sit in meetings with people I thought looked amazing who were there to lose 10 or 15lbs. I would look at them and wonder...how hard could it be to lose 15lbs?! Well, hard!! For me, I find that trying to lose 20lbs is a lot harder than losing 100lbs. I've discovered the best way to keep the weight off is, to always stay conscious and try not to fall back into your old habits which, is easier said than done. I mentioned before that I lived, breathed, thought Weight Watchers for over 2 years and I know what constitutes a portion. I got really good at eyeballing it. Cut to 3 years later and I conveniently stopped measuring my portions. Why did I think it was perfectly okay to quit measuring my food after reaching my goal weight? Clearly eating without measuring hadn't worked for me the years I carried the extra weight around, so why would I think I could get away with it now? Short answer, I can't. Maintaining a healthy weight can be difficult especially in today's society it's all about big portions. Super size this and biggie that! So, how do I keep the weight off(most of it)? By accounting for every morsel that goes into my mouth. Good or bad!
How do you stay motivated? Diet and exercising can get old fast for a lot of people, myself included. You have to remember why you're doing it. Constantly remind yourself how great you feel compared to how you felt 5, 15, 50 pounds ago. I usually work out a lot! In fact my Honey was constantly telling me 'you work out too much'. Well first off, I'd tell him 'can you imagine what my body would look like if I didn't?'. LOL!! Anyway, only you can say what's too much. I stay motivated by actually enjoying the activities I do so, choose your activities wisely. If you absolutely hate running then don't! Otherwise you won't stick to it. Now, that's not to say I don't get tired or not want to work out some days. In fact, the days I feel the most exhausted or unmotivated are the days I usually feel the best once the workout is over. However, sometimes I just can't motivate myself to go no matter how much I know how great I'll feel afterwards.It happens but, most times I push through that not wanting to go feeling because in the end, I'll be happy for having done it!
How do you not give in to cravings? Those pesky cravings. Sigh! I know, I know. Those chips are just calling your name or in my case Coldstone Creamery(not only does it call my name, it does so with a nice Italian accent, lol). I will confess when it comes to cravings I give in, sort of. Trying to avoid them at all cost can make you miserable. The reason why I love Weight Watchers so much is because, NOTHING is off limits! There are no exclusions. It's all about portion control. It makes it easier to give in to your cravings but within reason. You don't feel deprived. If you currently want to lose weight and you're thinking of going on a diet but, you just love your 'insert weakness here' and feel like you can't give them up? you should definitely check out Weight Watchers. When you feel deprived of something, you'll eventually start to resent the diet you're on and resentment will probably lead to giving up. Basically, the way I deal with cravings is...first ask myself if I really really reaaaaaally want it? Most times, the answer is yes! LOL! If this is the case, I evaluate my points including my activity points and go from there. Sometimes though, the cravings pass. It helps knowing that I'm not on a plan that tells me I can't have it as long as I'm on that plan so, I know I can always have it tomorrow.
How do you find the time to exercise? This one for me is a little easier than most. I know a lot of people have busy lives that includes kids and, that's something I don't have to think about when I want to take a 7:15 p.m spin class. Although having kids should not be an excuse. I work full time and go to school part time so, I'm pretty busy too. If it's important to you, you'll make it work! All it takes is at least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week. If you have a lunch break, get out and walk for 30 minutes. It's how I started. I remembered being asked when do you have time to eat, if you're out walking? Fortunately for me, I have a little flexibility and don't have to actually eat at my lunch hour besides, it doesn't take a full hour or thirty minutes to eat lunch well, not unless you're consuming a lot of food! Bottom line, if it's important to you, you'll find the 30 minutes to make it happen and exercising actually makes you feel good! Really, it does. :-)
This is an great and informative entry..I look forward to your blogs. They are very interesting.
ReplyDelete