Before and after photos! Life lessons! Whee! It’s officially been one year since I joined Weight Watchers rather reluctantly, but now, 365 days later (and 34 pounds lighter), I can say without a doubt that it was the best thing I could have done for myself in 2017.
In early January of 2017, there’s no way I could have foreseen that within the month my Mom would be gone and life would forever be altered. But I stuck with it – it seemed kind of crazy at the time to continue to show up for the meetings and track all the food, but it was something positive for me to do for myself in the midst of so much grief.
So I stuck with it. And I’m so grateful. Here’s my before shot from December of 2016 – I was in the newspaper here in OKC and it was a GIGANTIC full page photo. I was mortified.
Freestyle kicked in just after Thanksgiving, and it was a much-needed kick in the pants to track my meals again. In case you didn’t hear, Weight Watchers adjusted their super popular SmartPoints program to make several different foods worth zero points. Almost all fresh fruits and veggies are 0 points, as well as proteins like eggs, turkey and grilled chicken, beans, and greek yogurt. Pretty awesome.
Starting weight was 205.6 (size 16 to 18/XL)
Current weight is 171.5 (size 10-12/M or L)
Height is 5’7″
The overall loss averages out to .7 pounds per week, although some weeks were more or less than that – and some weeks were gains. That doesn’t sound super impressive when you think about it, but really, that adds up over time. I’ve learned so much in the past year about myself and how to adjust my thought patterns. I’m such an all or nothing kind of person in so many ways, and WW has helped me realize that I don’t have to do everything perfectly or not at all. WHAAAAT?!
When I began, I didn’t really know what I wanted my ultimate weight loss goal would/should be. I knew I wanted to be able to go into any store I wanted and be able to fit into their clothes. And I can say now that I’m mostly able to do that. I’d like to be down within the ideal BMI range for my height, and so that means being 160 pounds, which I haven’t been since college.
Here’s what Freestyle looks like for me. Previously, I was allotted 30 points a day, plus 35 weekly points to use as I needed or wanted. On Freestyle, I’m allotted 23 points a day. And it was a mental hurdle to overcome at first, for sure. But with so many 0 point foods, it’s actually helped me to drop a few more pounds. I lost 3 pounds in December within the first week of Freestyle, and 2 pounds over Christmas break. BOOM.
So in 2018, my plan is to keep on going. I feel so good overall and I want to continue the momentum. I can’t say thank you enough to my friends who’ve been my support group, as well as everyone who’s commented on the blog, IG, or FB. You guys are the best. Really – the absolute best.
