Just a Few More Weight Loss Thoughts

Parada Creations

I was looking over my thoughts of yesterday, and they felt kind of negative to me... losing weight is hard, blah, blah, blah... and that was really not my intention.


So, I want to bring this train into the station on a positive note, and say that sure, losing weight is hard, but it is totally doable. One day, one meal at a time. I've met more than a few people that lost 50 or more pounds, and have kept it off. I think the important thing is to be kind to yourself.


And I forgot to introduce you to a great new (at least to me) blog written by one of my daughter's former roommates, Jessica. She's on a weight loss journey, so a lot of her posts are about that, but she is also learning to sew and just find her way in the world, and she has an amazing attitude! Check out Tales from Team Awesome if you get a chance.


And finally, on a completely different note, I think I've forgotten how to sew. My new sewing studio is really taking shape, but everything is in a different place, and I feel so awkward. Have you ever felt like that. I'm going to have to just bite the bullet and go turn on the sewing machine and see what happens!

Thoughts on Losing Weight

Like many, many others, one of my New Year's resolutions was to lose weight. It's a popular one, no? And 2 of the things that I've found helpful are 1) a public announcement of my plan and 2) support of others. This year, I'm following along with Shannon of Hungry Zombie fame as she tries to "tame her arse". Her series has "inspired" me to share just a few things that I learned in my 2 years as a Weight Watchers leader. [These "learnings" are strictly anecdotal and observational. There may be science to back them up, but I'm not looking up the research, therefore, they are my opinion only, and I am no longer associated with Weight Watchers.]

Another disclaimer: there are exceptions to everything I learned (except that 1 pound = 1 pound... that's always true).

So. What did I learn and observe?

• losing weight is hard. Oh, yeah, you probably knew that.
• losing weight is easier when you are younger. If you are younger than 40 and want to lose weight, don't wait!
• a pound of muscle does NOT weigh more than a pound of fat. 1 pound = 1 pound. However, muscle is more dense and takes up less space. That means...
• use your measurements as well as the scale to register progress!
• people have patterns of weight loss. For example, you may lose for 3 weeks and then hold steady the next. Maybe you lose for 4, gain the next week, then lose for 4 weeks again.
• That means that 3 to 4 weeks into a weight loss plan is too soon to decide if you are on a plateau.
• Hormones can be evil.
• Losing weight is harder for women.
• A big exercise day is sometimes followed by a weight gain.
• It's definitely better NOT to weigh every day. Really once a week is a good idea, but I usually can't hold out that long.
• I don't always practice what I preach.
• What works for one person, might not work for the next.
• Writing down everything you eat, even if you are not calculating calories or points or whatever, can be useful.
• Being honest about what you write down is also useful.
• Being honest about how much you exercise is also useful... there are lots of great apps out there to help you record your exercise.
• Exercise is important for everyone, even if you aren't trying to lose weight.
• Losing weight slower seems to be better for long term maintenance.

That's it for now. And I just want to add that while my reasons for losing weight are for health concerns, I'm not gonna lie and say those are the only reasons. No matter what your views on weight loss are, I do believe that a person's weight is a personal matter.