Skinny-fying my life

Remember towards the beginning of the year when I wrote that rant about New Years' Resolutions? Well, here's an update on mine: A few months ago, I came to a realization: I was fat! I weighed more last December than I've ever weighed before in my life, and even matched the weight of one of the Biggest Loser contestants (granted, this woman has to be like 4 feet tall...seriously...) How much did I weigh? Wouldn't you like to know! I have no shame in saying my weight aloud to my friends, but posting it on the Internet for my millions of blog followers to see (yes, I live in a dream world where all of my posts are highly anticipated and viewed by millions) is a completely different story. But to be sure, I weighed more than I ever have. If you really want to know that badly, I'll tell you later... privately.

How did this happen? Well, I have a desk job that keeps me in a chair and in front of a computer for about 8 hours a day - strike one. It's been a very cold winter, and I've stayed indoors as much as possible - strike two. I love junk food - strike three. I'm lazy - strikes four through ten.

I panicked and decided I had to do something! I turned to my old forgotten buddy, Weight Watchers. A few years ago I had done the WW thing and lost quite a bit of weight, so I knew it worked. There's a monthly fee required to being a part of the program, but I figured it was worth it, and also a good incentive to keeping me on the plan (I'm paying for it, I might as well follow it).

Brilliantly, I chose two weeks before Christmas to start eating and living healthy (notice I didn't say the 'd' word. I hate that word). The first week went wonderfully. I lost 5 pounds that week! The next 2-3 weeks I ignored the plan. I was at home or traveling, it was the holidays, and it just wasn't worth stressing out over it. But I jumped back on soon after, and have stayed pretty true to the plan ever since.

Let me explain my take on the whole thing: I don't go to the meetings. I don't care about losing weight with other people, that doesn't appeal to me or interest me at all (hmm... can we say antisocial tendencies?). I'm an online member. The personal accountability is what motivates me. I love it! I get little stars when I achieve landmarks for my weigh-ins (not actual stars, just pictures of stars. Maybe if I went to the meetings I could get real stars! That might be worth going for...). So far I've gotten the 5 lb star, the 5% star, and the 5+ lb star. I love stars! They also give me smiley faces when I eat all of a food group I'm supposed to each day (8 cups of water - smiley face! 5 servings of fruits and vegetables - smiley face!) or do my daily activity. I also love the flexibility. I get points that allow me to cheat throughout the week! 23 points a day is what I'm allowed, but I have 35 points that I can use throughout the week to cheat. So if I want a piece or two of pizza or a carton (don't judge me) of ice cream, I can do it and I don't have to beat myself up!

There's lots of great things about the WW program that I like. Thousands of recipes, articles on tons of health-related topics, tips on cooking and living, message boards, and an entire online community that helps each other out and answers your specific questions. There's even an iPhone app that I could potentially use if I had an iPhone.

So why am I writing about all of this? Well, I've lost almost 15 pounds on this thing, and I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I'd also just like to encourage anyone who wants to lose weight. This plan is super easy and super effective. I'm a fan! Anyway, in the future I may post some of my thoughts, struggles, inspirations, whatever, as well as some of the fun foods I eat or ways I've changed things to make them healthier or more effective, if anyone is interested. Have a super day!!