Skinny Chick Quote of the Day

"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too. So, we're really not that different, me and you."

-Colin Raye

Now What?

One of the questions that I get asked most frequently is, "What's harder: Losing weight or Maintaining your weight-loss?" I think it depends on how you look at it. Losing weight is a very motivating and inspiring process. If you follow what ever wight-loss plan you are on and stick to it, you should see a loss on the scale. While losing my weight with Weight Watchers, there was nothing more euphoric to me than stepping on the scale and seeing a loss week after week. That was a definite reward for my efforts throughout the week. However, once I reached my goal-weight the "high" that I would experience week after week was gone. So the question is, "Now what?"

Getting back to the original question, which is harder weight-loss or weight-maintenance; I really think they are both difficult in their own right. Weight-loss is difficult because it is a commitment to a change. It requires breaking old habits and adopting new ones. Some of the old habits may be more difficult to break than we really think. Weight-loss also involves lots of self-realization that can be down right painful. There are also plenty of setbacks and challenges to overcome while on your weight-loss journey. But, the great thing about weight-loss is that you get to see validation for your efforts in the form of a lower number on the scale, clothing fitting better or dropping sizes, increased level of activity, and improved health. This validation is positive reinforcement and drives you to continue.

Weight-maintenance is difficult because nothing is really "physically" changing. You have gotten to the point where your weight has stabilized and you are maintaining the loss that you have achieved. The compliments start to fade and people start to get used to you being the "Skinny Chick." And then, heaven forbid, people start to treat you like you've always been skinny. They may say things like, "You don't look like you would ever need Weight Watchers" or "Do people actually take you seriously when you say that you lost weight on Weight Watchers?" Not to mention the fact that you look at yourself in the mirror and you still see the "old" you. You also have the people around you who know that you have reached your goal and they ask you, "So now can you go back to eating regularly again?"

There is so much emphasis placed on weight-loss and the emotions surrounding it. Not to many people actually talk about the emotions around weight-maintenance and how to deal with those. It is so tempting to think, "Well, I'm at my goal now...I can splurge on this or that. One more piece of pizza won't make that much difference." The truth is, just like we had to commit to a change to lose weight, we have to commit to a lifestyle of maintaining our weight-loss. It begins with the realization that what ever it was that we did to lose weight, we must do the same thing to maintain the loss. If we go back to our "old ways," we will go back to looking like our "old" self. Here are some tips that have really helped me stay focused while maintaining my weight-loss:

1. Create a new goal each week to focus on. This can be anything from a specific activity goal or something food related like increasing your amount of protein or vegetables. 

2. Track what you eat ALL the time! Tracking is what got me here. Tracking is what's going to keep me here. 

3. Continue to attend your weekly Weight Watchers meeting. The meetings offer support and accountability for Lifetime members as well. You can also weigh-in every week if you like, even though you are only required to weigh once a month. 

Here are some other tips I found in the March/April issue of Weight Watchers magazine:

4 Maintenance Musts
Here are the top 4 secrets of more than 10,000 successful dieters:

90% Exercise, on average, 1 hour per day
78% Eat breakfast every day
75% Weigh themselves at least once a week
62% Watch less than 10 hours of TV a week

Source: The National Weight Control Registry's ongoing study of adults who lost more than 30 pounds and have kept that weight off for at least a year.

Skinny Chick Recipe Pick

SKINNY BEER-GARITAS

Click Here for Full Recipe

Skinny Chick Quote of the Day

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Skinny Chick Quote of the Day

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

Hilarious!

This commercial is SO hilarious. I just had to post this. What happens if you can't afford a weight-loss plan? What do you do? Watch and learn:

What are your thoughts on this? Would it work for you?

Skinny Chick Quote of the Day

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

-Unknown

Skinny Chick Quote of the Day

"There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full."

-Henry Kissinger

Lights, Camera, Action!

As most of you know, back in August of last year (2011) I submitted my weight-loss success story to Weight Watchers. They LOVE to hear about member successes. At this time, they were looking to cast "real people" who had reached their goal-weight on the Weight Watchers PointsPlus plan in their next commercial ad campaign. I, along with 8 others, was selected to participate in the Weight Watchers commercial and print ad campaign---BELIEVE. Here are some of the print ads that I am featured in along with our group commercial with Jennifer Hudson.

MY MEETING ROOM POSTER

This is located in the meeting rooms at newly designed Weight Watchers stores across the country.

MY WINDOW BANNER

This is hanging in the windows of newly designed Weight Watchers stores across the country.

MAGAZINE AD

 Featured in Weight Watchers magazine, US Weekly, Life&Style and InTouch

GROUP TV COMMERCIAL

MEET THE CAST: BEHIND THE SCENES

I encourage you all to share your successes! You never know who you could be inspiring. This could be YOU one day!

We're Gonna Make a Change

Life is all about change and evolving or growing as a person. The longer you live, the more changes you experience. So is it safe to assume that all you have to do is let time pass and you will see change in your life? If you are referring to changes in technology or progression in society, then maybe the answer is "Yes." But, if you are talking about change from within or a "lifestyle" change, the answer is "No."

This fact remains: In order for one to actually see behavioral changes in their life, their BEHAVIOR must change. You can't keep engaging in the same behaviors and expect a different result. My Inner Skinny Chick says: In order to live the type of lifestyle no one else seems to be living, you've got to do the the things no one else seems to be doing.

At the beginning of each of my Weight Watchers meetings, I check in with my members about their past week and ask them if there was anything that they were proud of that they accomplished that doesn't have anything to do with the number they saw on the scale. I ask them this for two reasons:

1. Focusing on non-scale victories takes the "weight" off the scale. There are many factors that can affect the number you see on the scale. It should not be the only indicator of a successful week. 
2. Giving yourself a specific goal for the week like, I will try a new work-out, I will cook a new recipe or I will bring my lunch everyday this week, helps "lock-in" healthy habits that are necessary for true "lifestyle" change.

Why not spend our time thinking of different weekly goals we can set for ourselves instead of obsessing over the number on the scale. You'll be surprised. If you do this, you will begin to form habits and change your behavior. The icing on the cake is that the number on the scale will naturally begin to drop as these changes are implemented into your life.

What "non-scale" victories are you proud of? Have you seen a change in your behavior by implementing any goals for yourself?

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." 
-Mahatma Gandhi