I'm Claiming the Whole Kit and Kaboodle

I have a little confession to make. I have a crush on Ben Kingsley. Don't get me wrong, I would take a heaping side of Johnny Depp anyday. But, I could polish Ben's head... sorry, I digress... wrong confession...


What I meant to say is... I actually did a few weeks of Weight Watchers before Christmas and lost 7.6 pounds during that time. What happened? No, it wasn't the "I'm going away on Xmas holidays and am taking a break from the program" scenario. In fact, I quit. I didn't quit me. I stayed active over Xmas, indulged fairly sparingly, etc. What I quit was Weight Watchers.

I was in my fourth week, working consistently, the weight was coming off, I was feeling good, etc. I stepped onto the scale and my leader (not the one I have now) noted my weight. She turned to me and said "Ok, let's talk about what's going wrong. You've gained 1.5 pounds this week. We need to figure out what you need to change." I stated that I wasn't worried. I had done what I had in the past couple of weeks (which lead to losses) and was actually really proud of what I had accomplished that week. I told her that my body knew what it was doing and that I was realistic.

She stared at me in disbelief. She just wouldn't stop with the drilling and excuses and I was gutted. Not gutted because I had gained weight (although that is never a good feeling), but because she had no trust in what I was saying to her. "Ok, what about BLTs (not tracking bites, licks and tastes)... not tracking points... not weighing and measuring... blah, blah, blah." I couldn't take her lack of patience,her unrealistic attitude, or her need to justify and I walked out, right there and then.

I am not here to line the pockets of the franchise owners. If Weight Watchers is not inspiring me or providing some kind of valuable service, why would I go? The meetings are $16 a week... money that can be better spent on a trainer, healthy organic food, a long phone call to a supportive friend, or a multitude of other things that can help me with my lifestyle changes. Was my previous leader trying to help? I'm sure that was her intention, however she either lacked the training to understand the natural ups and downs of weight loss, or she lacked the positivity and patience to handle these moments in herself and others.

When I arrived back from my Xmas holidays, I gave serious thought to what I needed. I realized that I liked the accountability of weighing myself regularly (although I would honestly prefer every 2 or 3 weeks) and that I valued the support of the other committed WW members. That was enough for me to try a different meeting and, lo and behold, I also found a leader who I can talk with.

Anyhoooo...If you are wondering why my stats have changed, I found my book from a few months ago and it lists my initial starting weight as 317.6. Now that I remember what my actual starting weight was, I'm claiming the whole kit and kaboodle. Here's my revamped stats:

Week Three Stats
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Age: 39
Height: 5'6"
Starting Weight: 317.6lbs
Current Weight: 301.2lbs
Calories/day: 1600-1850 (32-37 points)
Calorie average this week: 1750 (34 points)
Exercise: 2 mile Leslie Sansone walking video x 2, 1 hour aquasize x 2, 1.5hr drumming class
Week 3: -3.6 lbs!!!
Total Lost: 16.4 lbs!!! (7.6 from before Xmas)