Checkin' In

My goal this morning was to get to the gym some time today. I even got up and dressed in my workout clothes so that I'd be ready after my errands were run. I had to take my car to the Nissan dealer because my check engine light came on. Of course, that took forever.

I didn't ever make it to the gym, but I got real with myself and attended a Weight Watchers meeting today. It felt good to walk through those doors again and it brought back a lot of good memories. I had a lot of success with the program! Anyway, I did the dreaded walk to the scale. A few people have asked me why in the world I would need to go to WW. I chalk it up to good genes that I tend to gain weight all over instead of just in one area. It's very deceiving!

We all have our personal issues. I for one, have issues with being BIG. I'm not your average sized woman and so feeling even a little 'fat' makes me feel huge. Being a size 10 was something I never thought I could possibly do and after Dylan was born and I joined WW - I worked hard to get down to a size 10!! I promised myself I'd always stay that size because it FELT SO GOOD.

Well, as I climbed on the scale today I was surprised (but not shocked - since I weigh myself every morning) to see that I'm 17.4 pounds heavier than my last weigh in last December. This was a huge wake up call for me. That's a lot! I've committed to WW for at least a month and hope to lose 25 pounds as my end goal. I should be able to do it in about 12 weeks or less and then I will be able to reclaim my lifetime status with WW and attend meetings for free. This time, I won't stop going when I've reached my goal.

For any of you who need a little motivating out there, here are WW's tips for weight loss success:

1. Plot out your goals. One of the general authorities said that without goals, we can't measure how much we've accomplished.
2. Envision your success.
3. Don't sabotage yourself.
4. Be your own cheerleader. I think that positive self-talk is essential (I somehow thought I still fat and ugly when I down 20 pounds...) but it is also essential to check in with a friend, even if they aren't doing a program with you. I always called Julie after my weigh-ins and even called her today. Poor girl had to listen to me moan....
5. Avoid being a perfectionist. (so impossible for me...)
6. Follow through with your goals. It feels so great to accomplish them!
7. Affirm your self-belief.

So I guess this post (and others to come) will serve as the accountability I need, if only for myself, to reach my goals. I've never done this, but I'm going to try and take before and after photos....no, no, there is no chance you'll EVER see them because I'm not crazy enough to post them...but I hope that will help keep me motivated to maintain my target weight. Am I crazy??

Here is a yummy recipe that I plan to try this weekend:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=103091&sc=11

On a side note, the chronic headaches continue - even after a year of chiropractic care and weekly massages since my car accident. I went to an oral surgeon today who will send me to physical therapy for 4 weeks. After that he wants to make a splint/mouth guard (I've already been using them and they don't work for me) and then will send me for an MRI. I plan to push for the MRI in the hopes that it will reveal what is truly the problem and why I can't seem to shake the jaw pain with alternative treatments after all these years. There are some new laparoscopic procedures that are fairly non-invasive. I'm tired of suffering!