Weekly Meeting Topic : Dealing With Deprivation

This week's meeting topic beautifully compliments last week's discussion on how to stay satisfied/filled with filling foods.  This week we talked about dealing with deprivation : Not a Diet -- Healthy Eating.

Weight Watchers main selling point is that we can still enjoy our favourite foods and loose weight!  I think one of the key reasons why Weight Watchers is a successful plan is because I have lost my weight and I can still have my treats, for me that translates to either chocolate or ice cream.  We learn to recognize our weaknesses (foods) and how to eat/enjoy them in moderation/control and to recognize the foods that make us loose control (aka : eat it all!).

Deprivation of the foods we love/crave strongly leads to :

• a diet that is not sustainable
• frustration
• anger
• over eating

There are some changes we can make physically/psychologically to help us deal with deprivation

• Recognize this is a lifestyle change not a diet
• Plan your indulgences
• Earn and use your activity points
• Use your weekly points wisely
• Find new and healthier ways to indulge

Before I decided to loose my weight I would satisfy any whim/craving that came to mind!  I used to think that I liked both salty (chips, popcorn) foods and sweets.  I actually used to pig out on things like chocolate, twizzlers, jujubes, and other sweets until I almost felt sick so then I'd go and balance that out with some salty foods (was I ever truly hungry when I ate these foods?  Nope).  I remember I used to love to pick up a bag of twizzlers and a bag of crunchy Cheetos, I would go to my room read a book and alternately eat sweet and salty.  Being on Weight Watchers has definitely taught me where my true weakness lies and that's with the sweets.

Did I eliminate sweets from my life, no way!  I don't think I'd be at this point today if I had, I'd still be 207lbs, maybe heavier!  Cadbury Thins (2 points) have definitely saved my behind when it comes to handling my chocolate cravings!  When I crave my other favourite : Chunky Kit-Kat I only pick one up from the store and share it with a friend or Todd, that way I'm only consuming half the calories in that sweet treat and each time its enough to satisfy me.  I've learnt over the last two years not to keep my "red light" foods in the house, to buy them in single, smaller servings, and I try to share with a friend.

Am I always successful at dealing with my "red light" foods?  Not always, sometimes I eat more than I meant to/should of, I just make sure I count the points and move on.

Normally I'd let you know how this week's WI went but this blog entry is getting long enough.  So I'll save it for tomorrow (I hope), I also want to talk about the challenges I faced this weekend with the pot luck at the Knowledge and Needles Open House.

I wanted to share this picture I took of myself (yes... I'm vain), thought I was feeling slim and looking cute in my capris (which two months ago were on the tight side and fit perfectly this day) and my $4 Joe Fresh t-shirt that I love!  When I was overweight I would NEVER wear horizontal stripes, anything not to look anymore fatter!

A shout out to my friend Bonnie!  This is us on Saturday at the open house, I took this picture of us so I look a little freak-ish.  Props to you girl for making it to a yoga class tonight after spraining your ankle a few weeks ago!