My Annual Weight Watchers Refresher

Holidays are a time for family and friends!

Oh boy, have I been MIA!  So sorry.  But my absence doesn't mean I have abandoned my Weight Watcher attitude. In fact, after the holidays my daughter and I decided to sign up for a 90 day stint to lose the holiday pounds that crept on.

I think it's important to be realistic about maintaining my weight loss.  I've lost a total of 50 pounds over the past few years, 35 of that since joining Weight Watchers last January, but we all know that it's never a straight line from fat to thin, especially if you regularly track your weight. When I went on maintenance, I made a vow to jump back on the WW weight loss routine if I gained more than 2 pounds, which I have now done.

Yes, I enjoyed celebrating the holidays with family and friends, and don't apologize for eating an Almond Roca occasionally during this time-frame.  But I NEVER want to have to lose those 50 pounds I've already lost ever again. At this point, I have lost the few pounds I gained from all the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's parties.
 
Even though my eating slipped on occasion end of the year, one thing I've never stopped doing is weighing myself weekly.  Every Friday I step on that scale religiously, sometimes with trepidation, and it always makes me feel better afterward.  Better to know the truth than imagine the worst.

In addition to losing the holiday pounds, my goal this time was to lose an additional 5 pounds, which I am still working on....3 more pounds to go!  I think this will be an annual event for me.  It erases any guilt I had about enjoying life with my family for our celebrations, and it reminded me of the WW basics.

Staying healthy is a lifetime endeavor, so if you slipped a bit during the holidays, don't despair.  Jump back in and you'll be ready for those Spring clothes in no time at all! Losing a few pounds now is much easier than 50 pounds later, trust me!

Birthday Dinner with my Granddaughter: TGFBP! (Thank goodness for bonus points!)

I have seven grandkids and I take each of them to dinner for their birthdays every year.  As they have gotten older, the dinner tab has gotten more expensive, but I relish this annual one-on-one with them.

Last night my second oldest granddaughter, Kayla, and I went to her place of choice in Phoenix, The Melting Pot.  We have talked about this plan for several years, deciding that her 18th birthday deserved such a celebration (Our total with tip was over $100!)

I was worried about the plan from a Weight Watchers perspective because she wanted the 2-person, 4-course dinner which included a cheese fondue appetizer, salad, dinner fondue (with 4 different meats) and a chocolate dessert fondue to top it all off.   I KNEW that this would be tricky for me but I also wanted to partake in the celebration.

We chose the spinach artichoke appetizer, which came with veggies, bread cubes and chips.  I got the salad wedge with raspberry vinaigrette for my salad.  We picked a broth-based fondue to cook our meats (lean sirloin steak, ahi tuna, shrimp, and chicken breast).  And for the final temptation, we ordered the Yin-Yang fondue which was half milk chocolate and half white chocolate. The Yin-Yang had several diet-busting choices for dipping that included red velvet cake, brownies, rice krispie treats, marshmallows, bananas and strawberries.  Since it was her birthday, they added a piece of cheesecake. I tasted a piece of each, concentrating on the fruit....but there was that chocolate part with every dip...yikes....

I had saved up 21 of my daily points and I had all of my weekly bonus points available, but I knew that as hard as I was trying to keep the point count down, I was racking them up with every course. I did my best to estimate the total damage on my food log (31 points) but to be honest, I wasn't sure how close I was, and I worried I was underestimating.  I sent the meat and dessert leftovers home with Kayla, so at least I don't have to worry about them staring me in the face today!

Bottom line, I enjoyed the night with Kayla and indulged a bit, but afterward I didn't throw my hands up and say, "Might as well forget about dieting now!"... like I might have on other diet plans.  Instead, I knew I'd gone into my bonus points a significant amount for one day and decided I'd be extra careful not to exceed my daily points the rest of the week. Also, as soon as the food had settled, I got in 20 minutes of low impact aerobics to try to burn a few of those yummy calories I'd eaten!

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I will still lose weight on my Friday weigh-in.