Weight Loss Wednesday

I like the idea of a daily theme, but I have been a little too lazy to figure out a weekly schedule for my blog. So today is Weight Loss Wednesday, and maybe in a week I will do another Weight Loss Wednesday or maybe not.

I always like Wednesday, because every letter in my name is in Wednesday. I still spell it by thinking to myself "Wed-nes-day". I could make each Wednesday Wendy's Day and write all about myself, but it is always Wendy's Day around here, so I'll try weightloss (is it one word or two?) for today.

I really like the kind of people who get pregnant and just gain enough weight to get a bit of a bump, and then are back into their old jeans in a few weeks. I also hate those kind of people - that is so unfair. I am not that kind of girl. I am the kind of pregnant girl who gains a bit too much weight, and since I'm short, the weight settles all over - my arms, my face, my hiney, even my feet. Then I lose some weight, but never all of it. When I start to wear real clothes again, something strange happens and I start to gain more weight. The pattern continues again with getting pregnant, getting sick, losing 10 pounds, gaining 40# and so on.

I was able to lose the baby weight and then some after Emily (baby #3) was born. But then I got pregnant with John. I didn't get as sick as I had with the girls, and I gained enough weight that I outweighed Nathan at the end of the pregnancy. My doctor would say during each visit: "It looks like you had a healthy weight gain this week." I think he meant I was getting fat.

Since I was able to lose the weight after Emily, I thought I would be able to do it after John was born. Wrong-o. For 2.5 years I tried. I really wanted to lose the weight but I just. couldn't. do. it. And all around me were these cute little moms. All the little girls in the squadron wives group are the kind that barely even wear maternity clothes and then look all hott when the baby is about 2 weeks old (I'm not kidding - at a recent meeting a girl came in a tight sexy black dress carrying her <1 month old, I thought maybe she was the nanny. I was wrong.) And the ladies at church are young and cute with slender legs and cute skirts. I wanted to be like that, but I needed help.

This time last year Nathan was getting ready to deploy and I was feeling fat. I wore a size 12 and I had the "muffin top" effect, where my belly rolled over the waistband of my jeans like the top of a cupcake. Yuck. But I had a plan.

This is a little embarrassing. Please don't make fun of me to my face. Really. This is hard for me. Okay, here's goes:

The day after Nathan deployed (he left the day after Christmas last year, so on Dec. 27th) I walked into my first Weight Watcher's meeting. I felt silly. I mean, only old ladies go to Weight Watchers, right? But I did not turn and run out the door, I paid my money and got weighed. And I just have to say that there is something very motivating about having a stranger weigh you. We don't have a scale, so I didn't have any idea of what I weighed, and I remember thinking it actually wasn't too bad.

146.4 pounds. I am short, just under 5'2" and 146 is a lot for me, over the weight range for WW, but not actually obese. So I read all the stuff, and started counting points and tracking my eating. I lost 5 pounds in the first week. Then 5 more before February. I set my weight goal at 125 pounds and I figured I could get there in just a couple more weeks. I felt great. My clothes fit better. My neck looked better. I was starting to be able to fit into my "real" clothes. Then my weightloss slowed down. By Spring Break I had lost another couple pounds, weighing in at 133.

I went to visit my parents and help my sister shop for a wedding dress. Everyone made a big deal about how great I looked and I felt terrific, but I didn't tell them about Weight Watcher's. I am such a liar. I was just embarrassed - I mean, I should have been able to lose the weight on my own, and I didn't want to admit that I needed help. Sorry Mom. I didn't tell Nathan either.

I worked really hard and lost 5 more pounds before Nathan came home in early May. That was fun! I weighed 127 pounds. I went shopping for cute girl clothes. Nathan was suprised. That's all about that.

I still had 2 pounds to lose before I was at my goal, but I was stuck. With Nathan home I had to start fixing real dinners, and I had to figure out how to eat again. I am a competive eater - if he's still eating, I want to eat. If he's having seconds, I want seconds... I stopped losing, but I was really proud of myself for not gaining 5 pounds - I've done that before.

I didn't gain, but I also didn't lose. I spent the summer going up and down from 125.5 to 128 pounds. I considered changing my goal to 127. But I gave myself one more month. And finally, in September, I made it! Hip Hip Hooray!

I weigh about 125 pounds. I feel comfortable here - I could lose another 20 pounds and still be in my weight range, but I think this is just right for me. I feel way more confident and less frumpy. I wear a size 4 or 6 dress, and I have had a lot fun shopping for my new self. My next purchase will be a swimsuit for Hawaii.

Two weeks ago I became a Weight Watcher's Lifetime Member. Go Me! That means I need to weigh in monthly, and I can go to meetings for free as long as I stay within 2 pounds of my goal. I need the on-going support so I am planning to attend meetings atleast once a month, and I want a bathroom scale for Christmas so that I won't let the weight creap up on me.

So that's my weightloss story for today. Next time I will discuss favorite weightloss sites and tips. Thanks for not laughing.