Diversion – Life Happens!

So there I was in the midst of a ‘baby break’.  Sometimes when you set out to do something, life just gets in the way.  I didn’t rush back to Weight Watchers after having the baby,  I believe it is important to make the most of the different stages of life and I was thoroughly enjoying a new social life with baby club friends.

It was in the back of my mind that I was only half way to my goal but I was getting to grips with caring for a young child again.  The trepidation of getting back on the scales and facing the weight gain wasn’t something I had the courage to face at that point.  I found excuses for myself, my weight gain would be entirely because of ‘baby weight’, it would have nothing to do with the bad eating habits I had slipped back into.

I was forced to buy larger sized clothes because my pre-maternity clothes still didn’t fit and I even wore maternity clothes long after the baby arrived.  Two years after last attending I took the plunge and returned to Weight Watchers.  I joined a meeting in my local area, one of my new baby club friends was already attending so I instantly had a WW buddy.  I tipped the scales at 16 stones 4 pounds,  16 pounds heavier than I was the last time I weighed in before the baby.  In my mind I was still a Weight Watcher,  the new member hope and excitement soon gripped me.  Thankfully I didn’t have to take the baby along with me, so the weekly meeting became a little ‘me’ time, spent with adults.  A time that was just for me about me. Some weeks it was the only time I left the house alone.

Photo of CC after baby break
Restarting the journey after a ‘baby break’

My WW buddy also told me about an aerobics exercise class she attended, which sounded like a great way to aid my weightloss.  Until then in my life I’d only really attempted home exercise,  so I had to pluck up the courage to venture into a group situation.  It took a couple of weeks for me to overcome my fears that I wouldn’t be able to do the exercises, or keep up with the pace, or I’d look ridiculous in gym wear and most of all, I was just too big!

Once I’d put all that to the back of my mind, I went along to the class and hid away in the back of the crowd.  It was so challenging, I could hardly complete any of the exercises but somehow I really enjoyed it.  What I didn’t enjoy was to complete agony and muscle pain I had for the next few days, I could barely walk.  Gradually I built up my ability and the weekly class became a must.  I looked forward to it and didn’t want to miss it.  I’ve always been a bit competitive, so I pushed myself to do bit better each week and felt determined to keep up with the pace.

As time went on I saw the benefits in my fitness and energy levels as well as on the scales.  Twelve months after returning to Weight Watchers I had lost another 30 pounds, bringing my total weightloss since originally starting to 70 pounds.  I was creeping along slowly but surely, I was heading towards the home straight to my goal. Having the break probably helped to strengthen my resolve to make it to my goal weight.  Getting there would prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

New Year, New Me? (First Anniversary)

So here I was, I’d reached my first anniversary of deciding to change my life and joined Weight Watchers.  Looking back on my first year, I’d lost a whooping 52lbs, several body inches and improved my activity levels.  I’d face the challenges of dealing with temptations, special occasions, plateaus, etc and muddled my way through and got backed on track.  I still had a long road ahead of me but I felt good about my progress and was hopeful.

Photo of CC after losing 52lbs
One year into my journey – 52lbs lost!

The new year is always a good time to revitalise and boast weightloss efforts.  The focus in the media shifts from Christmas indulgence to fitness and health. There is always a range of new grocery products launched to promote getting healthy.  New cookbooks, workout DVDs, equipment and gym wear all add to the ‘New Year, New Me’ feeling.  I particularly enjoy watching some of the many TV shows that explore diets and how to lose weight.  It can be fascinating to see some of the far fetched ideas and extremes that have been used to lose weight.  One of the main benefits of being a Weight Watchers member is the extensive research behind the plan and guidance given.  I know I can trust it.   These TV shows always tend to come back to the same conclusion, that in order to have sustainable weightloss and lead a healthy lifestyle, you have to eat less and move more.

While I try not to be too influenced by these TV shows because I know that a quick fix diet won’t work for me, I have been able to pick up some helpful tips on the shows that feature healthy cooking segments.  For example, after seeing how easy it is to make a healthy homemade tomato based pasta sauce, I haven’t bought a jar of ready made pasta sauce since.

After my first anniversary I went through that year with modest losses, 0.5 – 1.5lbs off, then slight gains.  It was pretty slow going through the spring and summer.  These times did get me down a bit but I persevered by reminding myself of how well I had already done.  When I reached the autumn, there was an unexpected but happy event.  I discovered that I was expecting my second child so Weight Watchers and weightloss would have to be put on hold.  I was about to gain one of my greatest reasons for wanting to be healthy. I needed to be able to keep up with the energy and vitality of a young child!

 

 

2017 Year in Review

My year review of 2017 and my goal for 2018!