So, here it goes. I’m about to embark on a weight loss endeavor that will have me, hopefully, fitting into my fat jeans again in no time. Hopefully. (Here’s a link to the other McFatty posts if you need encouragement!)
I weighed myself this morning and it wasn’t pretty. 193 lbs. That’s what I weighed the day I went in for my first prenatal appointment at a whopping four weeks pregnant.
To monitor how and what I’m eating, I’ll be doing Weight Watchers. For those of you not familiar with this program, every food is assigned a “point” value based on how many calories, grams of fat, and grams of fiber the food contains. The idea is to eat low calorie, low fat, high fiber foods and to round out your meals with fresh veggies and some fruits. And water. You have to drink your water. I’ve been really, really bad about this lately.
I’ll be doing the Flex plan (which I think Weight Watchers has done away with, or revamped into something new). With the flex plan, I get a certain number of points per day (I’ll get 27) and then 35 additional points per week to use at my discretion. When I was in college I saved up the 35 points to use on the weekends. I think those points will be a little more evenly distributed now that I’m also feeding Dan.
I did weight watchers during my senior year of college and I was really successful with it. Part of my success, however, is due to the fact that I was a broke college student! Protein was a luxury for me. Oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch from the amazing cafeteria salad bar at the school where I did my student teaching, and then a handful of pasta and some sauce with a side of veggies for dinner. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Occasionally I’d throw a piece of chicken into the toaster oven to have with my pasta.
Now, I have Dan to think about in my meal-planning. He is not going to be okay with eating pasta and sauce five nights a week. At all.
And eating healthy gets expensive when you’re trying to make actual meals and menu plans. Our goal for this year is to spend less than $100/week in groceries for all of our meals. That might seem like an astronomically high figure for some of you, but we prefer to eat fresh or frozen vegetables. And we also like protein. I’m clipping coupons and shopping as thriftily as possible, but I’m suffering from a bit of sticker shock at the supermarket. I know I’ll figure this out eventually, but getting to that point is going to take me a few weeks.
While I’m figuring out our budget, I’ll be weighing myself weekly and attempting to Wii Fit four times a week. I’ll also be upping my water intake and ::sigh:: lowering my coffee intake. Until I channel enough of my mother to be able to drink my coffee like a trucker. Don’t count your chickens on that one, though. I love some Vanilla Caramel creamer enough to sacrifice a point or two for it. It’s all about balance, right?
Danielle
Saturday 16th of January 2010
I just started using weight watchers as well, my son is going to be 7 months old on Monday and I have still not lost all my weight. I only have a few pounds left but I hear those are the hardest! So I've started weight watchers! I can't get over how much more expensive it is to eat healthy! Its crazy! I wish you the best! I love your blog and I just became a follower! :)
Healthy Momma
Wednesday 13th of January 2010
I love the "drink coffee like a trucker" line! Hilarious! Good luck with your journey! :]
Emily
Tuesday 12th of January 2010
I also found you through Blair- she apparently has a lot of readers! I am still pregnant but I plan to use WW as well. It helped me to lose 50+ pounds before I got pregnant with my first. Unluckily for me I got pregnant again when my son was only 4 months old and now I am expecting twins! So, I have the weight from TWO pregnancies to lose! I love WW though & cannot wait to join you on the weight loss journey!I'll be checking back!
-Emilywww.emmiebee.com
Dleigh
Tuesday 12th of January 2010
Sounds like you have a great plan in place. Eating healthy is so expensive. Kind of a shame really. Good luck with WW. You can do it!
Lee Anne Holman
Monday 11th of January 2010
Hey found you through our friend Blair... I too am trying to loose the weight lucky for me so is the hubby but I have been clipping coupons and trying to find a balance between not spending every dime we have and eating healthy. I have friend who directed me to http://www.e-mealz.com they have weekly menus and shopping lists and direct you to coupons. I use the walmart and its suppose to be no more than 40 a week for weeks worth of dinners for 2. Check it out, its 15 bucks for 3 months worth of stuff.