Tag: health

Prologue: My Weight Watchers Story

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Mama

5870749384_220953388a With the new year comes resolutions, goals and promises that we hope will renew our lives, transform our bodies and lift our souls. . . fast forward to February and many of us will have already thrown in the towel.

This year, like most others, I decided it was finally time to lose weight and get fit via a lifestyle change. Sounds great, eh? Kind of like all the other times I decided “The Weight is Over.” I’ve tried time and again to shed several pounds and beef up my exercise routine (I even managed a 5k a few years ago), but I ultimately end up in the same spot with a big “F” on my report card in the subject of health. Perhaps it’s the 40-something of it all, because gone are the days when I can quickly shed several pounds with a few tweaks to my diet. *sigh*

After several attempts at mastering a healthy lifestyle the same old way and getting the same result (y’all know the definition of stupid, right), I decided to take a different approach toward my goal. I looked at my personality, past successful situations and things I enjoy, and realized that a solo journey may not be the answer for me. I like to think I am strong willed and valiant enough to go this alone, after all I know what a healthy lifestyle looks like, but in reality I’ve always been a team player. Literally. I played softball, basketball, even a little Intramural football and I thrive on the comradery and accountability that comes with belonging to a team working toward a common goal.

Since I’m such a people person and belonging to a group suits me, I decided to adjust my weight loss approach to capitalize on the strength of numbers. So this week I decided to join the seemingly unglamorous ranks of the Weight Watchers. You know, that mysterious organization that was born before I was and has mesmerized an aunt, mother or family friend on and off throughout the years with special meetings, point counting and quirky little calculators. Yup, that’s the one!

After a bit of research into popular weight-loss programs, I decided that Weight Watchers has a proven record and most closely supports the ultimate lifestyle change I’m seeking. There are oodles of success stories associated with the program and meetings are even led by folks who have “been there and done that.” Plus, there is very little commitment if it doesn’t seem to be the right fit (yes an emergency exit, if you will).

So I’m joining a team and pulling on a new jersey (hopefully one that will be four sizes smaller this time next year) to lean on the strength of numbers. I’ll keep you posted here at Small Talk Mama on the ins and outs of it all and hopefully reveal a few lessons along the way.

If you are interested in joining me at Weight Watchers (there’s a special offer valid until Jan. 8, 2018) visit them online at https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/

photo credit: ElliGill thirtynine 25062011 via photopin (license)

My Weight Loss, Week One

Posted on January 15, 2016January 15, 2016 by Mama

Well now, isn’t this embarrassing. I only lost a measly half a pound in week one of my weight loss journey, and now I have to tell the world. So let’s see where it all went wrong. . .

First Mistake: my mindset. I figured if I only stopped eating crazy and making merry I would surely lose a pound or two. I ate so horribly for the last month and a half that I thought “better” would make a dent in my excess poundage. Wrong.

Second Mistake: one carefree night. I figured one night of indulgence out with my boys wouldn’t do that much damage. After all, I ordered water to drink. Wrong.

Third Mistake: not counting. I have discovered the best way for me to loss weight is simple math — calories in and calories out. Of course in order for this to work, I need to know how many calories I eat. I have successfully used Calorie Count dot com for this purpose in the past and really like the online program. I have many of my favorite foods plugged in already and can easily track my progress through the days, months and years. The catch to this whole thing is that you gotta use it. I didn’t. I just guestimated and kept a semi-running total in my head instead of plugging it in. Wrong.

Fourth Mistake: excercise, or the lack of it. I made my way to the gym only once last week. Okay, so my son was sick and it was quilting weekend, and the Chiefs were in the playoffs, and I had to buy groceries. . . The list can go on and on, but the fact remains — I didn’t make time to excercise. I’ve found that with a family to raise, mouths to feed and every other interesting thing I have going, I have to make a deliberate effort to schedule time to workout. Never mind that we own a treadmill, free weights and Wii Fit, or that we live in a neighborhood with nice sidewalks and a beautiful trail in our backyard. So with 168 hours of life to work with last week, I used just under one to reach my fitness goals. Sadly, wrong.

Okay, I believe in learning from my mistakes and so I’m ~~hoping~~ planning for a better week two. I plan to change my mindset and be active in my weight loss goals, I promise not to “reward” myself with a little indulgence if I haven’t actually achieved anything, I will actively use the tools at my disposal; and lastly, I will work up a sweat.

Of course I’m curious. What weight loss and fitness tools do you use to help meet your goals? I would love to read your comments and suggestions below.

Running Like Forrest

Posted on March 11, 2013March 29, 2016 by Mama

I’ve heard of this thing called a” Runner’s High” but what I really want to know is if there is such a thing as a “Runner’s Low,” because, if there is, I just know I’ve got it.

After a few days out of town, helping my husband recover from surgery, two snow storms and a long bout of the crud, I’m just not sure how and where to renew my training for this summer’s 3.1 mile race (a.k.a. – 5k). I had been following my training schedule closely until my two-week hiatus, and now I’m actually afraid to start running — okay, as my husband points out, “running” is a term used loosely here. My gait feels more like Forrest Gump (the young version still in braces); but none the less, it’s still a step up from walking. I don’t know if I should continue where I left off or back up a week or two on my schedule. I’m mostly afraid that my legs, shins and lungs will object to having their vacation cut short so abruptly.

As we all know, things turned out well for Forrest on the running front and he’s probably the only person I know of (yes, I realize he’s fictional) who actually experienced the elusive Runner’s High. . . and boy, wasn’t that a trip. While that high may not actually exist here in the non-Hollywood world because I can’t name a single real person who claims to have experienced it, I can tell you the opposite is a reality and it has knocked on my door.

So here’s to the Runner’s Low, there’s nowhere to go but up from here. . . unless I bite it on the treadmill today.

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