Friday, May 18, 2007
First Meeting
I was so anxious to start Weight Watchers again that I went to a Thursday morning meeting. 9 am to be exact. And I am NOT a morning person. How's that for motivation?

I decided to do monthly pass, got my materials and joined in the first meeting.

Before I had arrived, I had a dozen thoughts racing through my head. Will I be judged? I'm not exactly "fat" and I've often encountered some ugliness from those who weigh more than me when they hear me say I'm dieting.

But, I'm 5'9" and weigh 170. That's the end of the threshold for a healthy weight for my body. So even though people say they'd never guess I weigh that much, that I don't look like I need to lose weight, etc., I feel like I do.

I suffer from high blood pressure, a huge factor in my decision to start this diet. I also have tons of clothes that I used to be able to wear when I was between 145-150 (my "normal" weight before I had my gallbladder removed....I've heard that gallbladder surgery can cause you to gain weight, and that's certainly been true in my case). I want to wear those clothes again. I'm tired of buying "fat" clothes.

When I stepped through the doors of the meeting (late) all heads turned in my direction. I tried to smile and act confident but inside I wanted to shrink to invisibility. I thought I was walking into a group of people who probably knew each other for a long time and therefore had developed a sense of comraderie, and that I was probably the outsider.

I saw a line forming to a desk and decided that's probably were I needed to stand. So I did. And listened to the meeting in progress.

My mom had warned me that these meetings are sometimes a little "hokey." She was right. Our leader, as nice as she is, reminds me of a salesperson. All smiles and happiness, and you have to wonder, is that REALLY who she is, or is this all fake?

She pulled out a child's pail and shovel and said we were going to "dig" for ideas. "Oh boy," I thought. "What have I gotten myself into?"

But as I listened further, I saw through the hokiness and took home some great advice. The first being this quote:

"The pain of passing up food is temporary. The rewards of weight loss are forever."

I have that imprinted on my brain now.

We also discussed the difference between urges and cravings and how our emotions play into both.

I weighed in at 170, 5 pounds more than when I first tried Weight Watchers online a year or so ago. That was pretty depressing.

The tools I received at the meeting were so helpful, my favorite being a little slide chart that you can use anywhere (home or the store for example) to calculate how many points are in a certain food product. Before, I could only calculate my points online.

The meeting only lasted for a half hour, which I was a little disappointed in. The second half-hour was for new people (me!) and there were TONS of new people there. I quickly realized I wasn't alone in being the newbie.

I also noticed that a couple of people said they were having some trouble losing weight and the leader seemed to rushed to help them. The people that did come to the front to talk to her after the first half were listened to, but it seemed only half-heartedly.

I want a leader that I can go to to help me through this. That's part of the reason I'm forking over so much money for this. So, if during this month, the Monday evening leader isn't helpful enough, I may have to rethink paying for the monthly plan.

I'm officially starting my first week on Monday and am practicing lowering my food intake over the weekend. I don't want to go from "normal" eating to dieting in one step. I prefer for it to be gradual. Plus, I much prefer Monday evening meetings and weigh ins. (although I'd actually prefer a different day of the week since Monday is right after the weekend....but that's the only day they have evening meetings)

Already, I'm having some trouble with fiber, a key ingredient in the Weight Watchers plan. I recently had surgery on my bowels and ever since cannot eat whole wheat food (bread, pasta, cream of wheat, etc.)

I had two slices of light wheat toast (1 point), smeared with cream cheese (2 points) and half a banana for breakfast. About an hour later I had horrible nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain.

So, I'll have to modify that part and find some low-fat, low-cal, "white" food products (white rice, white bread, etc.)

I'm anxious to go in on Monday and I hope there isn't a problem with me switching my weigh-in day (they weighed me on Friday and they say you can only weigh-in once a week).

All-in-all, I'm feeling very optimistic and hopeful that I will actually look good in a bathing suit this summer and that I can be healthy again. I know that optimism waxes and wanes, so I'm soaking it in while it lasts.


posted by DietDiva @ 7:16 PM  
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