27 and Counting

Seven weeks into our Weight Watchers experience, we have lost a total of 27 pounds, almost 28 actually. Linda is leading the charge, down over 17. I just cracked the magic 10 pound barrier. Pardon me, for the giant salad-eating grin !

Last night's meeting was one of if not THE BEST meeting so far. I wrote last week that we missed a meeting due to Valentine's Day. It was so good to get back in there and see everyone. We had a mostly full room, all the regulars and several new faces also. I'm really glad our merry band is expanding. And for the new folks, what a great night to get started.

Lots of milestones were celebrated, but of course Linda's 15 pound and my 10 pound drop were paramount in our minds. We also had a person go over the 45 pound mark. Nice work ! I feel like Linda and I have (as well as the rest of our group) so much positive momentum that the sky is literally the limit.

After we were done celebrating milestones we touched on the topics of the week. Dori, our leader, brought up some very important points to consider.

First and foremost was the statement that your attitude regarding any activity affects the outcome of that activity. Simply put, it means that if you think you are going to succeed, your chances of success are good. Conversely, if you feel that you are going to fail, YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL. It's just that simple. So toss out the negativity, you can do it.

Secondly we discussed the "Pitfalls of Perfectionism". I admit freely that I am a perfectionist. I love order and stuff neatly placed in it's own designated cubby-hole. Before I met Linda, I lived alone in a neat 2-bedroom apartment that was always completely spotless. I knew where every thing was right down to the back-up container of Q-Tips. When Linda and I got our new place, all that went out the window in a matter of minutes. Not so much the cleanliness factor (I still scrub) but the OCDness of my organizational needs. Linda uses a system I have named "Controlled Chaos". Like a junkie on the 12 step program, I have learned to accept a new way of living. Much less organized, and yet still functional. I have my moments of dispair when I can't find the thing I'm looking for, but I would never trade my beautiful life with my lovely wife for knowing where (and exactly how many there are) spare AAA batteries in the kitchen.

But once again I digress.

Perfectionism in regards to Weight Watchers means that you DO NOT need to be perfect in every way every single day to succeed. If you had a challenging week and fell for the Girl Scout cookies it does not mean that all is lost. Do not give up because you exceeded your points for that day, or the week. Just know that it's totally OK. Don't feel guilty because you snagged that muffin at the staff meeting. Don't wig out if you put a pound back on or just stayed at the same level. It's OK.

The key to having this attitude is looking at the big picture. Weight Watchers is not a limited time engagement, it's a lifestyle transformation. Everyone is going to have peaks and valleys as we move toward our ultimate goal of improved health and fitness. Do not worry, just keep your eyes on the prize. If you feel badly, the best way to change that is do something positive for yourself. My fall-back activity is the brisk walk, find yours and use it.

I'm also excited about next week's meeting. We will be sharing "Food Finds", great recipes or other foods that fit the Weight Watchers guidelines and are yummy at the same time. I will encourage the group to email me their favorites and post them here next week. I will insist that Linda share her recipe for her "Magic Soup". Folks I'm not making this up, it's an awesome veggie soup that the more of it you eat, the more pounds melt away. That's how we did so well at weigh-in this week. Nice.

Also in closing, I visited the Doc yesterday to have a skin bump looked at. He decided to remove it just in case. Here in Colorado we have a lot of UV rays due to the high altitude so skin cancer is not to be messed with. Anyway, Doc really had high praise for the Weight Watchers program and he was pleased to see that I had dropped the 10 pounds. I had my cholesterol levels checked a few months ago and Doc said that they were a bit high. I told him yesterday that I will have them checked again in 60 days and we will compare the results. I would be shocked if the levels have not significantly improved by then.

I hope everyone can feel my energy and exitement in this post.

Healthy eating to all.

Dave and Linda