Our girls Amy and Patricia are gearing up for their second weigh-in with Weight Watchers. In this entry they’re chatting about planning, tracking and keeping up their motivation levels.
Amy and Patricia have been keeping us up to speed with their weight loss journey with their diary of the Weight Watchers programme. Over the next few weeks they’re giving us an insight into their journey – how much weight they’re losing, how they’re managing to stay motivated and any tips they pick up along the way.
If you missed the girls’ previous entries, check them out here, here and here. Or if you want to see how it all began, you can read the start of their journey here.
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Name: Patricia Murphy
Meeting: Carmelite Community Centre Whitefriar, 56 Aungier St., Dublin, Dublin 2
Starting Weight: 14 stone 11lbs
Current Weight: 14 stone 10½lbs
Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good weekend because I certainly had. As you know I was only down ½ pound last week at my weigh-in and I was quite disappointed. I had really not been eating my daily ProPoints allowance of 35 and coming home from the weigh-in I was a little bit down. However, a loss is a loss and this week I was determined to make the most out of the ProPoints. Having taken the class journal this week I have been tracking everything I have put into my mouth and have found my Weight Watchers calculator very useful especially when I’m out and about.
This week has not come without challenges however! My sister came up to Dublin on Friday for a visit and we went for a bite to eat. Like my leader suggested, I looked up the menu online and chose what I was going to order so I was not tempted to indulge in something I would really regret. I really enjoyed dinner anyway and at the end of the day it’s not all about food. The best part is catching up with your friends and having a chat.
On Saturday I whipped up a Weight Watchers curry with wholegrain rice for my friends and I, not that anyone noticed of course! Everyone just commented on how delicious it was. A night on the town was on the cards however, so on our trip to the off-license I avoided the wine and beer and opted for a spirit and a diet mixer. I made sure to take my time with each drink and have water in between and I did not allow anyone to pour for me as I wanted to be able to calculate my ProPoints to track them. The extra weekly ProPoints were a great help at the weekend, although I did not use them all.
I am particularly proud that I avoided the chipper after the nightclub and instead opted to have a slice of brown toast when I got home. When everyone else is indulging in burgers and chips it can be hard, but I honestly didn’t need it.
During my supermarket shop last week I didn’t buy anything sweet which was a mistake because I love having something nice after dinner and it made me pick more in the evenings. This week I bought some delicious Muller light cheesecake yoghurts which are 3 ProPoints each and I really loved them.
Hopefully this week will be a better one for me and I hope I am down at least a pound. This evening I am going to throw my iPod into my ears and get out for a walk whether it’s raining or not!
Name: Amy Wall
Meeting: Carmelite Community Centre Whitefriar, 56 Auinger St., Dublin, Dublin 2
Starting Weight: 11 stone 9lbs
Current Weight: 11 stone 5lbs
I made it through the weekend in one piece and I am very proud to say that I didn’t cheat on the programme once which, if I’m being completely honest, is very surprising. I honestly thought that by 3am on Saturday morning I’d be halfway through a grease-laden takeaway, but it didn’t happen. And I’m grateful it didn’t happen.
So what have I learned? Well, basically I’ve learned that planning is everything. Before my night out I sat down with my Weight Watchers books and I made a plan. I used some of my 49 Weekly ProPoints on the alcohol I was planning on drinking (spirits have lower ProPoints than beer, so I stuck with vodka) and, because I know what I’m like after a few drinks, I also set a few ProPoints aside for some toast when I got home after my night out.
I made sure to eat a nice, filling dinner of pasta before I hit the town and this kept me satisfied, so I wasn’t tempted to indulge in any nibbles as I had my few drinks. This is an achievement in and of itself because there were a LOT of nibbles.
I came home, had my toast and honestly? I was as happy with that as I would have been with any take away.
I’ve come to realise just how important a bit of planning is when it comes to losing weight. When I plan, I know that the weight will come off. I feel good having a plan that allows me to stick to my ProPoints and I just keep reminding myself that as long as I eat my ProPoints every single day, I will lose weight.
It’s simple maths. Sort of.
Anyway, Wednesday marks another weigh-in. Aside from one dodgy lunch, I’ve managed to stick firmly to my ProPoints for the past seven days. After my big loss last week, I’m unsure what to expect but I’m hoping that the number will be a little bit lower when I step up on the scales again.
Do you want to join Patricia and Amy? Find your nearest Weight Watchers classes here.
