Over the last couple of years one could hardly accuse me of setting ambitious goals, or, if I did bother to set goals, of actually keeping them.
So while I was struggling into my Fat Pants this past September, I decided it was high time for me to drop some poundage. And owing to the motivational sinkhole I'd been inhabiting, I knew I'd have to go whole hog, as it were.
I plunked down the bucks and signed up for Weight Watchers. I'd been on it a couple of times before (the online version) and had reasonably good success, although I never stuck it out to my goal weight. But this time around was going to be different -- I'd go to the meetings and stick it with it and reach goal and make Lifetime status, dagnabit!!
My schedule was (and still is) very flexible, since I work mostly from home nowadays, so I was able to find a mid-morning meeting with a fabulous leader. And the fact that I'm not at a 9-to-5 job made meal planning much easier.
I wasn't obsessive about following the program, but I tracked my food and activity fairly consistently. I certainly didn't deny myself unduly, but I got pretty good at deciding whether something was worth splurging on or not.
I reached my WW goal weight of 148 lbs, down from 164, in mid-February. I was no speed demon, I lost less than a pound per week, but like I said I wasn't super-strict -- the fact that I allowed myself to splurge every now & then made this doable. I became a Lifetime member 6 weeks later. Now, so long as I weigh in once a month and not be more than 2 lbs over my goal weight, I can attend WW meetings and access their eTools for free. I shelled out enough money to WW Inc. so that's mighty fine by me, I like free.
Although my WW goal was 148, my personal goal weight (what I call my Climbing Weight) was 145, and I reached that a couple of weeks later. Heh, guess that means I have to start climbing hills again. 8^)
Speaking of, although I'm still biking, I haven't been biking anywhere near as much as I used to. I'll generally head out 2 or 3 times a week for a flat 10-15 mile loop near my home, plus another ride or two each week with about 30 miles and a modicum of climbing. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but I think the fact that I haven't been biking a lot really helped my weight loss. I used to pig out when I biked a lot. Granted, you have to fuel appropriately on rides, but in my case there's a fine line between proper refueling and overdoing it, and after a long ride my motto would be "see food, eat food". So that was one less variable I needed to contend with.
Now that I'm at my climbing weight, is climbing easier? Eh, a bit. But since I haven't been riding a great deal, my speed (be that as it may) and endurance on sustained climbs has fallen off a lot. I'll be working on that next, and upping my mileage, and meanwhile I'll try my darndest to keep my weight under control.
In the meantime, it's fun to try on pants that were snug on me last fall and hang on me now. I'm not much for clothes shopping but it sure is nice to buy new clothes in smaller sizes. And I can zip up my Amici Veloci vest without cutting off circulation at my hips. Booyah!
And it's great to feel like I've actually accomplished something. :^)
Eastern Sierra Double … Another DNF
6 months ago
