I’m in my 10th month of WW and I’ve lost 33 pounds. I did great over the holidays – lost a steady pound a week between Thanksgiving and New Years. Now I’ve been stuck on a plateau for 7 weeks and I’ve lost nothing.
Even so, losing a pound a week is pretty great for me. The last time I did WW, three years ago, I averaged half a pound a week even working out (and working out hard) 2-4 times a week. Right before the holidays WW came out with a new program called Points Plus. On the surface it’s similar to traditional Weight Watchers but there are really significant differences. The “old” plan was based on calories with credits for fiber and demerits for fat in everything you ate. The new plan doesn’t take calories into account at all – it’s based on protein, carbs, fat and fiber in a mysterious mathematical formula that you need one of their little gizmos to calculate. Despite my current stalled weight loss, which is normal in any weight loss program, I’m liking the new program. All fruit is “free” which means that within reason you can eat as much of it as you like. What this means most importantly is that you can have fruit as a snack or tie-me-over without dipping into the amount of Points you’re allowed to eat each day. It’s great for nutrition as well as hunger.
After I finished the family history project I did four months of yoga. I also started experiencing some pretty significant pain. Getting out of bed in the morning was a real struggle. I blamed it all on my back but when I stopped yoga the pain stopped also. Yoga gets a lot of great press but just like anything else it’s not good for every person in every physical condition.
After yoga I signed up for a two-month water aerobics class at the YMCA that met twice a week. It was supposed to take me through the winter but I’ll be darned if the idea of getting into a cool pool just didn’t sound very appetizing when it was 0 degrees outside. And the idea of leaving the gym with partially wet hair generally topped the matter for me. It was hard to get motivated and I stopped going before the class actually ended. It was free to members so I didn’t lose money but I did lose some exercising initiative. I’m not exercising at all right now which may be playing a roll in this plateau.
Hubby and I have plans to set up a YMCA night where we go together and do out our own thing for an hour or so but we were both sick the first week this was supposed to happen. I’m hoping this won’t kill our initiative. I’m just barely beginning to hatch out of my winter hibernation and I need to get in there and start up with the Y again.
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