tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65496129274564122692024-03-13T09:07:36.040-04:00Living the LifestyleThe continuous journey that is weight maintenance. My tips, advice, struggles and how I live life and still maintain!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-3026598968216084792010-03-25T21:58:00.002-04:002010-03-25T22:04:18.225-04:00Ready for Day 2!Well, I hope everyone is having a great week so far :)<br />Here I am, 10pm on March 25th - accomplished my first PT session at 6AM yesterday day!<br />I started out on the elliptical while I waited for my trainer, and was looking at the TV screen going "wow, I'm exercising at 6:20 in the morning!"<br /><br />Anyways, my trainer Jeff is very nice. I can tell he's going to push me for sure!<br />Yesterday morning he was just doing lower body to see how I move and stuff; looking for strengths/weaknesses. Tomorrow morning I am going back (changed the time from 4:30pm; will see if I can do it for Monday too) and he's going to do a few tests and stuff on me. He's very well educated on the nutrition side of things and said that it IS possible to actually spot reduce. Asked me where I wanted to take it off, first and foremost is my stomach area.<br />He's going to figure out what foods maybe aren't the best for my body type and I have this <span style="font-style: italic;">feeling</span> that he's going to tell me carbs.<br /><br />So I'm very sore right now in my thighs and for those who have seen me I am walking pretty funny. Nothing that a little Aleve can't fix :)<br /><br />Off to bed now - gotta be up at 5;30am!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-72518949376177723942010-03-23T22:54:00.003-04:002010-03-23T23:04:11.536-04:00Tomorrow is my FRESH start!<span style="font-size:100%;">Hi Everyone! :)<br />I hope you are all doing fantastic! I am trying to keep this blog as updated as possible, so any tips/advice on formatting, etc. would definitely be appreciated. Not really liking the fact I can't change things with this new template so any help would be lovely!<br /><br />So tomorrow is my fresh start when it comes to exercise, and I think it's going to be the wake-up call I have been waiting for. Oh wait, that was last night.<br /><br />On Sunday night I was browsing the Goodlife site and decided to sign myself up for a free consultation with a fitness trainer. The location I have my membership at (notice it doesn't say the one I GO to...) called me right away and I went last night at 6pm to sit down with them. Wow, talk about an eye-opener!!<br /><br />For those who have known me awhile, you know that I did some personal training a few years ago after I reached Lifetime to help myself feel better and tone up a bit. At the time I felt fantastic and saw some great results. Sadly after that I hurt my knee and used that as an excuse for not going back. I joined the gym again last March and as much as I hate to admit it; I have gone no more than 5 times since joining. Here I was paying $45 a month for a membership I wasn't using.<br /><br />Anyways, went for the consultation last night and walked out signing my life away for 105 PT sessions. Yes, that's a heck of a lot and yes I AM crazy. :) Why did I do it? Well, there are a few reasons.<br /><br />The first and foremost being I never do anything for myself or spend money on myself; all of my money goes to taking care of the family. Nothing wrong with that, but at the same time in order to be an effective person in life I need to make sure my own needs are taken care of. I was not intending on signing up for as many sessions as I did, but I am being realistic.<br /><br />I got on the lovely scale they have there that does the body fat % etc. and as much as I hate to admit it, my BF % has gone UP since the last time I had it done 2 years ago. I am somewhat disgusted in myself but don't have a problem admitting it. Lack of exercise and careless eating hasn't shown TOO much damage at the scale, but I have a total of 31% body fat right now which is not cool in my books. I was down to 23% when I was at my fittest back in 2007.<br /><br />I learned last night that in order for a woman to build muscle, realistically it will take 4-5 months. I am tired of feeling "squishy" and uncomfortable in my own skin and clothes. I have lost almost 100lbs, I shouldn't feel like I have been over the last couple of years.<br /><br />So they laid it out for me, where I am now and where I should be. They guarantee me that if I stick with this 3x a week that I can be down to 18% body fat and 133lbs by November when the sessions are over. You know what? I fully believe them. I know weight loss doesn't happen overnight and the goals I have set out for me for the fitness side of things also doesn't happen overnight.<br /><br />I start my sessions tomorrow MORNING. To me that's nuts - I have never worked out in the morning! I decided that I needed a change and working out after work just isn't going to happen for me. 6:30am tomorrow with Jeff is my first session and I think I'm going to do something I have never done before - take before photos of myself in a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Yes, I am going to take the plunge. Why? Because I want to post the progress and allow myself to see the changes because as you all know; we don't see in ourselves what others see in us.<br /><br />So stay tuned! There are sure to be some posts/tips that I pick up that I would love to pass along. I will be a buff & hot bride when I get married in Fall 2011 :)<br /></span>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-32454396419770235432010-03-21T21:05:00.006-04:002010-03-23T22:54:18.807-04:00Climbing back onto the wagon...<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >I have realized that it's finally time to pull myself back on the wagon.<br />I have just been barely hanging on and I am not happy with where I'm at or how I feel.<br /><br />I tracked everything today and it wasn't a ton of food, just higher point choices. My total for today was 40pts, leaving me with about 12 WP's until Saturday. The important thing is that I tracked it and I'm not letting it get to me.<br /><br />The topic in the meetings this week is fantastic, and I would recommend all you meeting go-ers attend your meeting this week. I think I'm going to start posting the topic at the end of every week with member comments, advice, etc.<br /><br />Anyways, I didn't really have a whole lot to put in this blog post but just felt like being a bit more accountable.<br />I will be weighing in most likely this coming Saturday morning, so I have to stay on track!<br />Exercise will most likely be re-introduced this week :) I'm washing my gym clothes now...<br /><br />Stay tuned...positive posts from now on :)<br />I may start rambling about wedding plans soon enough, so feel free to tell me to shut up :)<br /><br /><href="http://www.lessofadam.com/"><br /></span>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-89992115243006126572010-03-17T23:21:00.000-04:002010-03-17T23:28:06.635-04:00Wow, how time flies...I cannot believe that the last time I wrote on my blog was October; sadly it was.<br />I knew it had been awhile but when I just logged on I thought - wow, this is like the semi-annual blog I have going on here. To be honest with you, my little bro has inspired me to get back into blogging...I really need to make the effort.<br /><br />There have been so many wonderful & positive changes in my life since my last blog.<br />The first being I have changed jobs and started a fantastic career with a great company, after being at my previous job for 8 and a half years. I loved the people I worked with, but I outgrew my position and when this one was offered to me I would've been a fool to decline it. I'm still in the alcohol industry, except now I am the Inventory Manager for a few big name brands (ie. Vex, Jackson-Triggs Winery, Inniskillin Winery) and SO many more.<br /><br />I started back in November and I actually look forward to going into work everyday. :) The change in jobs really upset my routine, so I am slowly but surely trying to get myself back into that.<br /><br />The next fantastic thing to happen to me was I got engaged in January!!! :) Gord and I went away for the weekend to the cottage up north we usually go to in the summer, and he asked me on the Friday night. Of course I said yes, and we're looking at Fall 2011 as a possible timeline for the wedding. :)<br /><br />What's next? Oh - that's right! I have finally got what I have always wanted since I became a WW leader. I am now the leader of 2 back-to-back meetings at a centre on a Saturday morning!!! :) Although it was sad to see the other leader go, I am extremely excited to say that I am now the leader at the Cloverdale Mall (Etobicoke) classes on Saturday mornings - 8am & 9am meetings. If you're in the Toronto area - come on by!!<br /><br />So needless to say things are going pretty good for me, yet I cannot seem to pull myself back on track. I definitely have a lot of positive things to keep my motivation going so it's just a matter of me realizing that I WANT it again. :)<br /><br />Oh, one last thing...softball starts in a month and a half!<br />*swoon*<br /><br />I truly am in heaven :)<br /><br />Stay tuned, I have so much going through my brain right now that there's bound to be a blog (or two!) a day....I feel so much better after this post!<br /><br /><3 LindsayLindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-75171643488766549582009-10-31T22:28:00.002-04:002009-10-31T22:35:38.089-04:00Getting Back On Track.<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Yes, it's me.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I haven't been here for awhile...alright, a VERY long time; my last blog as you can see was April, and it's now November.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">This is going to be the start of my daily entries about my efforts of getting back on track...for real this time. I feel I have said it many times over the past couple of months on the message boards that I need to get back on, but I haven't done it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I weighed in this morning at my highest weight since reaching Lifetime - 141.4. That's 0.4 above my goal folks, and I vowed NEVER to be over my goal.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">The entry for tonight really isn't going to outline anything...I'm going to plan that out tomorrow, while I start my day off with a nice bowl of All-Bran Strawberry Medley and some fresh grapes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I will be here daily, posting my menu and all that fun stuff. There have also been changes in my life on the job front, so that's going to most likely be a subject in a few posts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">For those of you following my blog, thank you for still keeping me on even if I updated over 6 months ago. :) </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Stay tuned...it's only onwards and downwards (scale wise!) from here :)</span>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-72489691689729758492009-04-21T22:56:00.005-04:002009-04-21T23:22:08.171-04:00Kind of Random...Comparison Trip - 5 years between<div><div>Well it's been quite awhile since my last post. I have been extremely busy with work and WW, that the time for sitting down and actually concentrating on a blog is extremely limited. So go figure it's 11:00pm on a Tuesday night, and I have decided to write an entry!</div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div>I was just sitting here looking for something on my computer, and I came across something on my desktop I forgot about. LOL, you all know what I'm talking about right? I have this mass of icons on my desktop, so I just "found" it again! :) </div><div></div><br /><div>Anyways, what I found was a comparison shot of me...first in California in 2003 inside a cell in Alcatraz, which are small to begin with...then throw me at just about 200lbs in there! You will see. The second is of me in California in 2008...almost 5 years apart. I went September 2003 & end of March/beginning of April 2008. </div><div></div><br /><div>Here are some shots from the 2003 trip...<br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327346679286582754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6JlE47zeI/AAAAAAAAAB4/6YrRXUgVBqo/s400/lindsay+alcatraz.JPG" border="0" />Me in Alcatraz...<br /><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327346682804096194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6JlR_kzMI/AAAAAAAAACI/mD67nUR_pbY/s400/hat+store+cali+2003.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div><div>Goofing around in the hat store...</div><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327346685934525314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6Jldp7W4I/AAAAAAAAACA/v_yIiOkcIFo/s400/lindsay+%26+margita+cali+2003.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>I thought that the Alcatraz one was bad, but as I was posting this pic I thought "wow, that was me?".</div><div></div><br /><div>The thoughts still go through my mind. How did I allow myself to get there? And to think, these pictures were after I rejoined and was down about 25-30lbs...</div><div><br />And then I went to California again last year, last week of March and first week of April...</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327348357488273554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6LGwrZaJI/AAAAAAAAACg/cjCxeKVFRsQ/s400/100_2652.jpg" border="0" />The lemon tree at a winery in Napa Valley...</div><div></div><div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327348354077826514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6LGj-SHdI/AAAAAAAAACY/-r4HVcZXYsU/s400/100_2506.jpg" border="0" /></p></div></div><p>The orange tree in Lodi...noticing a trend here that I posed with fruit? :)</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327350423951963618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/Se6M_C2u9eI/AAAAAAAAACo/H455IaelL1c/s400/100_2478.jpg" border="0" /> <p>Big tree outside the hotel in Lodi...<br /></p><br /><p>Wow, this post turned into something a lot longer than I wanted. I guess what I wanted to do is make sure you all congratulate yourselves on how far you've come - no matter where you are! You should be proud that you took the step of comitting yourself to WW and learning to live a healthy life while still being able to HAVE a life! I still congratulate myself with not only what I have accomplished, but how I've managed to stay here! </p><p>Next time you do something good for yourself, give yourself a pat on the back and remember how much your positive attitude means to the success you'll have on this program!</p>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-72320422916269323042009-04-12T22:58:00.002-04:002009-04-12T23:18:05.025-04:00The Great Debate - Weekly Points & Activity PointsLately on the message boards it seems a lot of posts have the same underlying tone...using weekly/activity points...basically anything above your daily target is considered "cheating" and there is this fear of gaining at the scale.<br /><br />If we weren't meant to use them, then why are they there?<br /><br />Something I notice a lot of people tend to overlook is that WW is giving you the tools to put the program into place, it's up to you to use the tools to your best advantage in order to make this easier to stick with for the rest of your life.<br /><br />The weekly points/activity points is something that you need to figure out ... what works for you, what doesn't. Just because say I can eat all 35 of my weekly points and still lose - doesn't mean the next person is going to be able to. They may be able to only eat half of the weekly allowance.<br /><br />I guess what I'm getting at is DON'T BE AFRAID TO EAT!!! To some I understand this is a different concept, and I can understand why. The way things are marketed these days and the way society seems to have it embedded in their heads is in order to lose weight, you must diet and in order to diet you must give up the foods you love.<br /><br />Well, the reason I joined WW was because they weren't telling me to do that. They weren't telling me what I could and couldn't eat, they were telling me to still enjoy the foods I love, just make them work with the program.<br /><br />I have learned that the weekly points aren't bad, depending on how you use them. When I joined the program was called Winning Points (I believe 1-2-3 Success had just phased out...) and you were given a range of pts to eat for your weight. So ie. you're 150lbs and your range is 18-24. You eat anywhere within that range and whatever you don't eat you "bank" for later in the week. Now look at it this way, if you ate 18pts a day which is the bottom of the range...you're banking 5pts per day and adds up to 35 if you save them the entire week. I had great success with that program, and when they rolled over to Flex/Core (old program now) I had no problem taking advantage of those extra points because I knew I had success with them.<br /><br />You need to think of food as "fuel" for your body. In order to keep your metabolism going you need to feed it. The difference with feeding it now is rather than have something like a big mac and fries, you're having a nice sensible meal and snacks when you need them. Plus, one thing I always tell my new members when I am explaining the program to them is if they eat like a bird now, they'll eat like a bird for the rest of their lives. Cutting things out and saying you're never having it again is not a realistic approach to losing weight. Yes, it will work in the short-term while you're following the diet and losing the weight...but what about maintaining? Are you REALLY going to give up chocolate, etc. for the REST of your life? <br /><br />Embrace WW for the lifestyle change it is. I have yet to feel deprived and I really do feel like I'm eating more now than I was before. It's the foods you choose and how your spend your pts.<br /><br />If you need them, use them and if you don't - then don't. Just pay attention to what your body and the scale are telling you. <br /><br />There's always the question too of the activity points vs. weekly points. When they changed from Flex/Core to Momentum, the guidelines for activity pts changed and you can now bank them throughout the week. For onliners the change in how they were swapped happened - use weekly pts first and then if you go over them then dip into AP's. I have seen quite a few people who are hesitant to do this because they were using the AP's first before. Remember, WW does research and scientific studies for their program - they will only make changes if they know it's for the benefit of you. Again, this is another part of the previous program they've kind of brought back to WW.<br /><br />To me it's "safer" (and I've told lots of people this) to use the weekly points before the activity points. The WP's are given to you by WW - so you know they're accounted for in the program. Yes, we do earn the activity points but a lot of people tend to overestimate the activity they do and then if you eat those AP's you're eating too many.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not telling you what to do...remember, yes I am a WW leader but my opinions on here are solely my own and nothing to do with WW...lol, had to do my own "disclaimer". :)<br /><br />I really apologize if this seems like a long ramble, but it's something I have been wanting to post about for a bit. I definitely welcome thoughts/opinions if you think differently :) I never have a problem understanding the other side!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-66855674646259472562009-04-02T22:31:00.003-04:002009-04-02T23:00:50.226-04:00Being a Lifetime Member - 3 years at goal and many more to come!<div><div>First, I am sorry that's it's been a couple weeks since I've put up a new blog! Sadly, I have just been extremely busy and no creative energy whatsoever to think of what to post!</div><div></div><br /><div>As most of you that know me know, I am coming up to my 3 years of being a Lifetime member! The official date is Wednesday, April 15th. To me, I celebrate every MONTH that I am at goal and don't have to pay. Why? Because I know that people can lose the weight, but maintaining it is definitely a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I will be the last to tell you it's been easy - because it is something that is still a challenge - just a different one. </div><div></div><br /><div>When I first reached Lifetime in April 2006, I was on top of the world! I had done it - after 3 and a half years of being a WW member I had finally reached the ultimate goal I had been working so long towards. The first couple of months were good, as I still had that motivation of being a new LT member to keep me where I wanted to be. After a couple of months, I realized I was starting to slip.</div><br /><div></div><div>One of the biggest things I have learned over the years is that what got me to goal is what is going to keep me at goal. Like I said in my introduction post below, you are not "cured' and okay to go back to the way you were before just because you're at goal. You still have to try hard, if not harder to keep yourself there.</div><br /><div></div><div>I got a little laid back with a lot of stuff, and one of the biggest things was tracking. I thought "well, I have been doing this long enough and now that I'm maintaining, I'll just pay attention to stuff and not track it". Umm, folks - that technique didn't work for me. I slowly found myself slipping back into old habits - grabbing food when I didn't need to, thinking "oh, just one won't hurt" and realized at that point - enough is enough.</div><div><br />Tracking, staying positive and sticking to the program got me to where I am now and it's going to keep me here for the rest of my life. I won't lie, I don't weigh and measure everything I eat these days...since I feel pretty confident in knowing that I am making the right portion choices and always round up if I am unsure. I have also realized that now I am maintaining, one of the biggest things that has helped me is Taking Care of Myself (one of the 8 WW helpful habits).</div><div></div><br /><div>When I was losing my weight, sure - I took care of myself but once I got to LT and everything my life was completely different than when I started. I have a boyfriend now, and a stepson who lives with us. Things are a LOT different than the days of me living with my parents. I found myself starting to get so wrapped up in making sure they were taken care of, etc. etc. that I forgot the most important person - ME. Sure, some may say that sounds like a selfish statement but it really is the truth. If you're not happy, then that is going to reflect on others around you and life will not be as good as it can be. It has a definite affect on how you manage everything - food, weight, life in general. If you have a negative outlook on things, you will have negative results and this will be a lot harder than it needs to be. Staying positive is going to keep you going a lot more and you will feel more likely to stick with this and succeed for the rest of your life.</div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>Now that I have finished this post, I am realizing that it may not make sense or kind of be all over the place - but I just felt I needed to post it. And before I leave, I wanted to share this since I absolutely LOVE the new weight tracker with the e-tools! This is a graph of my weight loss journey from when I joined WW until this past Saturday. As you can see it wasn't all "rainbows & lollipops" and superstar losses - but that's fine by me. :)</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320294406106158482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 348px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/SdV7kwB0lZI/AAAAAAAAABw/-b-_OTrtX2Q/s400/weight+loss+graph.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-37563138357705137722009-03-20T16:29:00.011-04:002009-03-20T18:47:33.559-04:00Time for an "Official" IntroductionSo now that I have put up a couple of posts, I think it's time for me to actually introduce myself officially! Yes, right now all of those who know about my blog know who I am...but I know there will be others that come across here throughout their internet travels and I want them to know me too!<br /><br />Of course, my name is Lindsay and I am 27 years old. I live in Mississauga, Ontario - but was born & raised in Stoney Creek, Ontario. I live with my wonderful boyfriend and his son, with visits by his other son all the time!<br /><br />My journey with <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.ca/">Weight Watchers</a> began originally back in October 2002. At that time I was with the now ex-boyfriend, and was inspired to join the program after seeing the amazing success of his friend Diana. She was down about 50lbs and I thought - WOW, that's motivation! If she can lose it, then I can too!<br /><br />I joined my first WW meeting the week before Thanksgiving weekend. It was at a Lion's Hall in south-west Mississauga. I knew that over the year and a half I had been in the relationship, my weight had crept up on me...but I never imagined I had ballooned to the 227lbs the scale was showing me that Wednesday night.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315371345769586562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 204px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScP-E7Hi34I/AAAAAAAAABA/Dpx6Kg81LIY/s320/LindsayHighest.jpg" border="0" />I was in denial all those years. I thought, "yes, I'm a bit chubby...and big-boned" but never had I imagined I was that weight!<br /><br />I did great my first week on the program, and I remember losing almost 5lbs in my first week! I called my boyfriend right after I weighed in before the meeting started and told him the great news - his response? "Oh, well it's probably just water weight". Needless to say the support was not there, and only after a few weeks on the program and down about 12lbs I realized that I was not happy and would continue to be unhappy if things didn't change. Well, along with picking up a new healthy lifestyle - I also picked up a newfound confidence and left him at the end of October 2002. I always say, easiest 180lb loss in a week! haha. I haven't looked back since.<br /><br />Then I thought "I can do this on my own, I don't need meetings", and that didn't last long at all. I found myself getting back into the old habits and not following the program. A talk with a co-worker back in March 2003, someone who had followed WW successfully and lost/maintained 40lbs encouraged me to go back. I will never forget her words that night, telling me what a strong and motivated young woman I am and how I can do this if I believe I can do it.<br /><br />I rejoined meetings 2 weeks later at the YMCA on Ottawa St. in Hamilton March 2003, since I had moved back in with my parents and that was the best location for me. Saturday mornings it was! The leader was June, an amazingly energetic, spunky lady who you could tell had complete love of the program. She had lost 60lbs herself and I thought "wow, what an inspiration!" and it continued from there.<br /><br />I am not going to ever say I was perfect, I have yet to meet the perfect WW member. Yes, I had my weeks of great losses...very SMALL losses...but I also had my fair share of gains. And everytime I gained, I knew why it was. When I followed the program, I lost ...even if it was "only 0.2" and if I didn't then I gained. It was simple. I never stressed out when going to WI and I think if I did I would've fallen off again.<br /><br />Enjoying the lifestyle and the single life for the next little while, I managed to lose about 50lbs by August 2004, where I went on a short trip with some of my family and met the amazing guy I am with today! After getting into the new relationship, finding a guy who loved me and saw past the weight...I guess I can say I got comfortable, and then fell off the wagon officially in March 2005 when I thought I could stop going to meetings again. I can now see that a big thing that derailed me was a trip to Australia/New Zealand in January 2005, as I never fully got back on track after that.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315373918513988770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 159px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 257px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScQAarVnBKI/AAAAAAAAABI/1xEaauq8Z54/s320/lindznov604.jpg" border="0" /> We went back to the cottage in August 2005, as a couple with his son and after seeing the pictures when we were done I realized - that I needed to finish what I started. Yes, I looked MUCH better and felt a million times better then the day I first walked through those doors..but I wasn't where I wanted to be.<br /><br />I rejoined meetings in October 2005, with my original black WW tote and what had now become a "collection" of weigh-in booklets, ribbons, paperclips etc. & committed to getting my butt to goal. Meetings went well, losses were decent since this time around I knew I had to do it. No more messing around. I knew that tracking, weighing, measuring, exercise and staying POSITIVE is what got me to where I was now...and it was going to get me to goal too.<br /><br />The good thing between all of my "breaks" was that I managed to maintain my weight. I had 30lbs to go this time around.<br /><br />I pushed and followed the program, and then start of February 2006 the losses started to stop. I would lose, gain, lose, maintain, gain and this was the last 5lbs. When they say those last pounds are the hardest - they're not kidding! I was stressing, and I realized that the stress was probably a big factor in why I was not seeing the numbers on the scale go down. I told myself "I've lost 87lbs at this point - what's the big deal about a few more" and needless to say 2 weeks later I reached GOAL!! I felt weird that day pulling into the meeting, like something was going to happen. I got on the scale and saw 134.6 staring me back in the face. My goal was set to 135 at that time. It took a couple of seconds to register, and then I started crying. Yes, crying. :) I was just so happy...so impressed...speechless, I did it. Here I was, almost 3 and a half years later...92lbs down and at goal.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315377669805152946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 195px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 283px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScQD1B_HmrI/AAAAAAAAABQ/ENtwhmQJMkM/s320/LindsayTuttle-AfterShot2.jpg" border="0" /> My leader Koren was and is still the most amazing leader! She came just a few weeks before I reached goal, but she has been my biggest cheerleader since the day I met her. She had me go up in front of the class and speak...but I couldn't. I was nervous, and cried.<br /><br />In April 2006 I acheived Lifetime and that was the last time I ever paid my weekly fee to WW. :)<br /><br />I submitted my Success Story to WW online, thinking "I'll give it a shot, see what happens!" Well, they got in touch with me and my story was featured in August 2006! You can visit the story <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.ca/success/art/index.aspx?SuccessStoryId=5621&sc=17">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScQGAmUzZPI/AAAAAAAAABg/DXij3r6Wicw/s1600-h/n519870338_1548794_6164.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315380067561596146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScQGAmUzZPI/AAAAAAAAABg/DXij3r6Wicw/s320/n519870338_1548794_6164.jpg" border="0" /></a>Then the coolest thing happened - I was featured in the July/August 2008 issue of Weight Watchers magazine! To me, that was the ultimate success! Here I was in PRINT - it was crazy! This is a scan of the article:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It is now March 2009, and I am proud to say that I have successfully maintained my weight loss for 3 years. The struggle doesn't stop when you reach goal, you're not "cured" as I like to say and you can't go back to what you used to do just because you're there now. What got you to goal is going to keep you at goal, and I know that if I stopped tracking, paying attention to portions and just going back to how I was in 2002 - that I would be rejoining WW again with the weight to lose again.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315377979552353154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2yhGOO7SSGU/ScQEHD4my4I/AAAAAAAAABY/ZznR9Emhh_8/s320/Before+%26+Lifetime+June+2006.jpg" border="0" /> I am now a Leader for WW and do 3 meetings each week, with the occasional fill-in on Saturday mornings. I absolutely LOVE what I do, and still makes me amazed that I do it! I used to hate speaking in front of others, I had no confidence and thought that no one would want to hear what I had to say anyways - who wants my opinion? The confidence that this lifestyle change has given me is amazing, and the fact that I can help and motivate others to have the success I have makes me feel wonderful! I had some issues to overcome throughout the training process of being a leader, but it definitely helped me and shaped me as the leader I am today.<br /><br />My words of advice are no matter what kind of day you had, just remember that the next day, meal and even minute is your next chance to get back on track. Just because you mess up once, doesn't mean it's over. You can and will do this, just believe in yourself. :) </p>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-52474017886929574202009-03-20T12:51:00.003-04:002009-03-20T12:57:41.467-04:00Something I have noticed as a Leader......is just how much a lot of people can let the scale affect their mood and determine how their week went.<br /><br />I have lost track of the number of times I have been at the scale, about to weigh a member and while they're disrobing, I ask "how was your week?". I can honestly say that 7/10 members will answer with the "I don't know, let's wait and see".<br /><br />Why do we allow the numbers on the scale to be the sole judge of how we did that week?<br /><br />Don't forget, I was and still am a member...so this is something I am familiar with.<br /><br />Yes, we want to see the numbers on the scale go down...but at the same time, what if they went up? You tracked all week, exercised, stayed OP and the scale goes up. Does that mean that all of your hard work and effort that week was a complete waste?<br /><br />No.<br /><br />It means that you just need to keep pushing! The scale to me is just a partial judge and reflection of our success on this program.<br /><br />The biggest part of this to me is the emotional changes and habits we have to change in order to see the results at the scale. When you have weight issues, it's not just a matter of losing the weight and all of a sudden you're "cured". It's about overcoming the emotional issues and habits you have also formed while you have been dealing with being overweight. To me, if you can overcome such things as low self-esteem, binging, etc. that is so much more of an accomplishment than losing the weight.<br /><br />Think of that the next time you get on the scale. When you are going to your meeting, or even doing it at home -don't put off how you're feeling or how you're going to judge your week until you get on that scale. Think about all of the other positives that have changed since you started this journey, and keep focusing on all of the other changes that will come down the road.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549612927456412269.post-34004811227690017812009-03-20T00:27:00.000-04:002009-03-20T00:31:51.787-04:00Jumping on the wagonIt seems no matter where I am these days, there's a mention of a blog. I remember years ago when I first started using the internet, I started blogging...wasn't a super popular thing to do at the time and it kind of just fell by the wayside, I couldn't be bothered.<br /><br />I have decided to jump back on the blogging wagon, but this time I am hoping to use this as another method to get out there what an amazing program Weight Watchers is and what it has done to completely change my life! I will post an introduction, brief history of my journey..and hopefully start sharing tips, advice, etc. that I know helped me in my success with reaching my goal and continued success of maintaining my weight!<br /><br />Stay tuned...hopefully I can figure this site out soon!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698791461845876623noreply@blogger.com4