Getting To Goal Part 1

I weighed in last night Tuesday 15th October 2013, I will always remember that date now, because that is the date that I got to goal weight and became a weight watchers gold member!

Goal! 33lbs lighter.

I rushed to weigh in after work, I was desperately trying to get there before the talk started, I knew I was getting close to goal and I wanted to get weighed in straight away, but I didn't make it, so I sat through the class, a very good one at that, waiting to find out if I was any closer. I stepped onto the scales and when my leader, Sue, said you have done it, I didn't quiet take it in. you have got to goal! Sue said again. I have!? wow, I was elated. I cannot explain what those words felt like to hear, I was grinning and I actually felt much lighter! Now I just needed to know what to do to stay at goal and get that lovely gold card in three weeks time. Sue advised me to up my daily points by about 6 and see how I got on with that and she gave me the leaflet all about getting to goal. 6 more points a day, woo!

Me at the end of my first year of college, I had piled on the lbs!

On the way to the car I asked my friend, fellow weight watcher and blogger Amy if I treated myself to a Chinese takeaway would that be silly after getting to goal. She encouraged me to treat myself, after all I had 6 more points now and I had only eaten 12 that day. I drove to the Chinese and ordered my favourite dish with fried rice (which I haven't had since I joined weight watchers 31 weeks ago!)
On the way home in the car I was still on a high and I got to thinking about how I got to this point. How I used to think that I would never even be a thin person. I was destined to be over weight. Shopping for clothes would always end in stress and tears. I couldn't do it. I was the person that would fantasize about how amazing being thin would be but never did anything because it was too difficult. I wasn't much of a follow through person. I started to cry, I was so happy because now I was that person that followed through on something. I was a thin person. I actually did it. I got home I ate my Chinese, I could only manage half, which I thought was very funny!

Me at goal in my very first size 12 dress!

I couldn't wait to share the news, I was home alone because my boyfriend was working late. That was a bit sad, I needed someone to jump up and down with me. I called me mom, she was in the car with her friends and they all cheered and tried to beep the horn but they couldn't find it in their excitement. Then I called my sister, my fabulously thin and muscular, not one once of jiggle sister! She was delighted for me and very proud that I had done it. Caroline has been a great support to me, my whole life. No matter what it is I am trying to achieve, Caroline is spurring me on from the sidelines. During my weight loss journey the times when we were both home for a weekend or at the beach with my family and I was tempted to eat something that was too high in points Caroline would say you don't need to eat that, fruit is so much nicer than sweets, they are natures sweets! and I would then have the fruit :) we talked about maintenance and making sure I didn't let the weight creep back on and I told her that nothing was going to ruin this. Nothing I could eat is better than feeling like this, I feel amazing, I feel beautiful and sexy, I am proud of my body now.

My before picture. Me at my college graduate exhibition.

People have been asking me a lot over the last couple of weeks to share my secrets, my tips, my recipe for weight loss and my answer simply is weight watchers! I have not drank any shakes or starved myself or only eaten cabbage for a month. I have had a very enjoyable 31 weeks, I have eaten out on several occasions, I have had outings to the cinema countless times, I have had a few night out on the town, I have had trips to the beach and I even had a weeks sun holiday. I enjoyed all of it and I never felt deprived. There is no secret or miracle fix for weight loss! there is however a very well researched plan that works if you have the right attitude and a bit of dedication. That plan is called weight watchers. As you might be able to tell, I love weight watchers. I have had my leaders application ready for weeks now and I cannot wait to send it off!

The same dress now!

For those of you on weight watchers or thinking about weight watchers,  I am going to try and dish out some tips and advise. The first and most important thing I can say is that the frame of mind you are in is so important, the attitude you have to your weight loss is the thing that brings you to goal or drags you down. I joined weight watchers twice before and never got near goal because I gave up. so what changed this time around? My attitude, I wanted it so much this time that nothing was going to stop me. I knew there would be gains along the way but I wouldn't give up over a silly little gain!
Some of my tips may be a bit obvious but I'm going to give them anyway, they made such a difference to me.

My Top Tips

1. If you haven't already then switch over to low fat dairy. skimmed milk all the way! For the first couple of days it's not so great but if I was to have full fat milk now I would gag, its too creamy and coats my tongue, yuck!
2. spray oil is your new kitchen friend. When you are on a limited amount of points a day, who wants to spend them on oil for cooking? not me, I love the fry light olive oil and its 0pp for a few sprays.
3. Water water water, drink as much as you can, diet coke is no substitute, it's made with chemicals and is very addictive, not good for you, even if it doesn't make you fat. I save it for trips to the cinema or meals out.
4. Do some sort of activity, I was never an active person, I hated sports and I would have rather watched T.V than go for a walk. you can loose weight without exercise but it has so many health benefits you should do it and it tones! I'm still not an exercise freak but I do a bit. I like to go for walks, usually with a friend, on the weekends a bigger walk/hike in the woods and I also took up roller derby, the first sport that I have ever fallen in love with.
5. Invest in a measuring tape. Sometimes our victories do not happen on the scales, especially when we increase out exercise and build muscle, we might get a gain because muscle weighs more than fat but we will be loosing inches, Measure yourself and take note so you know how many inches you are loosing.
6. Eat chocolate! If your like me and your a self confessed chocoholic then going without will end in a disastrous binge. I have some chocolate everyday, usually a curly wurly (3pp) from the fridge because it lasts longer!
7. Do not, I repeat do not weigh yourself in between weigh ins at home. Your scales will probably differ slightly to the weight watchers ones and you weigh differently at different times which is why you weigh in the same time, same day every week at weight watchers. weighing in at home will give you unnecessary grief.
8. Try new food. as you loose weight your taste buds will change, food that you used to eat may become to greasy or sweet for you and you will find that you like things you thought you didn't. Invest in a weight watchers recipe book, I love the members favourite one and get experimenting! If your on a tight budget then get on google, lost of recipes to be found online.
9. Track! if it passes your lips it goes on the tracker, do not kid yourself with this one, eating a biscuit and thinking it doesn't matter enough to write down is fooling yourself. If by chance you do go over your points in a week, if you have written it down you will know what you have eaten for the gain you got. If you don't write it down you may think you have blown it and make it worse by saying ''oh it doesn't matter now I will eat what a want!''
10. Last but certainly not least, do not be embarrassed to be on weight watchers, be damn proud that you are working your but off for a fitter healthier body. Do not let other people bring you down with negative comments, your good friends and family will be supportive, if not they are jealous because your doing something they wish they would do.

I wanted to share my top recipes too but this post is a bit long now so I will make that a part 2 to this post.  lastly look forward to your goal, I promise that its worth all the hard work, its all you have dreamt of and more!