Week 12 Weigh-In: Hello Points+

Great one today: -4.2 and that includes Thanksgiving. I didn't do anything special this past week, just stayed OP (on program) and worked out 4x, but I will certainly take it! Current total, -36.8. One major holiday down, one more to go.

Points+ rolled out today and, man, was my meeting packed. There were three-times as many people there and only 2 receptionists. A lot of people were rejoining, so that slowed things down considerably, plus the center lobby/WI area is really small (especially considering this Mommy & Me meeting has a lot of strollers). Plus, everyone was buying something. All understandable, but they could have used another receptionist.

Anyway, I bought the New Member Kit. It was $35 (usually $45, I think) and came with Complete Food Guide, Dining Out, Recipe Book, 3-Month tracker and a coupon good for a free Points Calculator.

Given I'm riding a hot hand, I will stick with and track Classic Points until I feel I need a kick. However, I'm going to use the new Points Calculator and track what each day would be on PP, just to see how it compares with CP. But I'll still being doing CP until I need the change. It'll also give me an opportunity to read up on the program, etc. Looks like most non-protein, fruits & veg are up 1-2 pts per serving, at quick glance. That's a bummer, as I love my carbs, but the program seems to be working for everyone who tries it. Rumor has it Jennifer Hudson lost her 80 lbs on Points+.

The only "bummer" was they gave all members - new and old - a new weigh-in booklet. I loved my old one, as it had all my stats in it. But, what's neat with the new booklet is it calculates your Daily Points Total right on your Weigh-In sticker. That's cool if you're losing a lot and your Points keep dropping. My current Daily Points - 37, up from 32 on Classic Points.

In which I close the book on my 1st tracker

I love the 3-month tracker. I'm good about tracking my Points and I like to keep all the info together in case I need to reference something (Point values for a favorite food, what I ate at a party, etc.)

Today I reached a big milestone in that when I finished the day I was out of pages. Twelve weeks was up already.

I still have all my old trackers from 2002-2003 when I reached Lifetime. I number and date the covers and then put them away in case I need them again. That reminds me, I should dig them out and see if I can find any good food ideas...

Now, onto Tracker #2.

Week 11 Weigh-In

-1.6 at WI, so I hit my mini-goal - under 250 (249.8, but it counts, LOL). Next mini-goal - 247 for a 35# total loss. I will do my best to hit 242 by New Year's Day to make it an even 40 for the fall.

The meeting was sparsely attended, not a surprise given it's 2 days before Thanksgiving. I joked with the leader: "Does anyone come to WI the day after Thanksgiving?" Surprisingly, she said people do.

Next week is the "BIG SURPRISE" (or the worst-kept weight-loss secret in a while): The New Program. I'll be interested to hear what it's all about, instead of all the rumor swirling around.

In which I make exercise a priority

Sitting here cooling down after doing 3 miles with Leslie.

Very proud that I got it in before picking my oldest up from school. I hate having it hang over me and the later it gets in the day, the less I want to do it, but I know I'll be PO'd at myself if I let it slide. So I jammed it in after a playgroup and a quick trip to the mall.

These decisions are the ones I consider the biggest victories. The everyday ones that could easily go the other way.

Week 10 Weigh-In: Finally, 10%

My weigh-ins have reached double digits and to celebrate my body coughed up an even 3 lbs, for a total of -31.

This is a big deal for two reasons: I went over 30 lbs lost and I made my 10%. And it happened before Thanksgiving, which was my goal. And, I got my much-desired keychain, which now sports the 25-lb charm.

The meeting - or meetin' as my leader says in her best Bahstin accent - was fine. Definitely thinning out, but 'tis the season. The leader calls this The Bermuda Triangle period, where people get lost after Halloween and don't return until January.

Half of the back of the meeting room was covered in unopened boxes stacked 5-feet high, must contain the new materials and repackaged foods, etc. for the new program. The boxes were covered in a giant blue WW sheet. Big secret! LOL.

I wonder why WW would roll out a new program right before the holidays, but I figure it's because they want to have it running smooth before January, and the people going during the holidays must be pretty dedicated, so I guess we're good guinea pigs.

After the meetin' went to TJs and stocked up on a ton of frozen veg & meals. My food rut is getting old, I want to shake it up a bit. I bought a giant chicken burrito. 12pts for the whole thing, may have 1/2 today and 1/2 tomorrow. Despite my inadvertent vegetarianism (that would be a good title for a blog, LOL), I do love meat. Also stocked up on veg and goods to try one of the 0-point stir frys I found at WW online. That will probably be dinner tonight.

In which I inadvertently become a vegetarian

I was checking my food journal tonight and discovered I have become a vegetarian without realizing it.

I haven't eaten meat in a week - no time to cook! However, my newfound obsession with Roasted Red Pepper hummus and Kashi's Mediterranean Brushcetta crackers are keeping me happy.

In which I indulge

Had my first massage in 5 years today.

Heavenly.

Recipe: Tomato-Basil Pizza

OK, "recipe" may not be the right word for this as it's insanely basic.

One of the first few WW meetings I attended was focused on coming up with answers to persistent weight-loss problems. The friend who I attend with noted she was having problems with her family's Friday Pizza Night, so the leader encouraged her to make her own instead of eating regular pizza.

Our leader mentioned how she makes her own pizza: on a pita crust topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, basil and cheese. It sounded so good, I went to the store to try it myself. Instead of a pita I chose a Mini Wheat Boboli crust (6 Points).

I chopped up a Roma tomato, then added a lot of fresh basil. On top of that I added 1/2C Kraft 2% Italian Shredded Cheese blend (4 Points). It is awesome. I make this at least once a week and it's decadent.

Edit Feb. 2011: Under Points+ calculations, the Boboli mini wheat crust is now 10 Points. Boo! But still worth it.

Week 9 Weigh-In: So close

Since rolling out the Points program over a decade ago, Weight Watchers has always encouraged people to first set a 10% goal.

It's doable and a good motivator, and if you lose even 10% you'll feel much better and see real results. And you get a nifty keychain.

The only problem is, if you weigh more than 200 lbs, it can take a while to reach 10%. Hell, my 10% (28 lbs) is more than my meeting leader lost total. When I rejoined the program, I discovered WW now wants people to focus on 5% first, then aim for 10%. It's a good idea, especially for those of us who have a long way to go.

My goal since joining was to hit 10% before Thanksgiving and this week I almost made it. So close! I had a great weigh-in (-3.8 lbs) but fell short of my 10% by two-tenths of a pound. Just .2. So, hopefully next week, I will get my celebratory 10% keychain.

But, another cool thing: Since I passed the 25lb mark today I got my 25lb charm. Which goes on the keychain. Which I do not have yet. You know you have a lot to lose when you earn the 25-lb charm before you earn our 10% keychain!

These charms are neat - they didn't offer them on my last WW go-around. You got your 10% keychain, then a goal charm (a star), then a Lifetime charm (a key). Now they give out additional charms for each 25lbs you lose: 25, 50, 75, 100. I will collect them all!

Week 8 Weigh-In

I survived Halloween.

That sounds pretty dramatic as the whole candy-in-the-house thing doesn't bother or tempt me much. But if there was a holiday that revolved around kids going door to door, receiving baked goods, then bringing them home, yes, there would be difficulty here.

But, anyway, it's over and I'm down -2.8 for a total of -24.2, inching closer to my 10%.