Jan 11, 2010

Giving it another go.




I've decided to join Weight Watcher's on-line.  I have a history with WW.  Back in 2002 -2003 I lost about 60 pounds doing the meetings.  I faithfully followed the program and got awesome results.

Being the self indulgent person that I am though, I didn't heed the WW advice of making the habits I had learned a way of life.  Slowly the weight has come back.  So here I am in the same boat I was in all those years ago and feeling older to boot. 

I've gone back to meetings before but if you've ever been to a WW meeting you know that they are pretty much the same. 
  • Awards are given out (star stickers like you get in grade school for every 5 pounds, a ribbon at 10 pounds, a keychain at 10% loss)  Award recipient says a few words about what's working for them.
  • A theme is introduced by the leader.
  • Leader gets people to participate in a discussion about the theme (avoid eye contact or she'll call on you).
  • Tips and pointers on how to prepare food to taste normal.
  • Meeting deteriorates into a discussion about which diet foods taste best.
  • Meeting further deteriorates into a discussion about what foods we miss the most.
  • Leader breaks the food trance by giving us a little pep talk.
  • We are released back into a world that is not, I repeat not, set up for people to eat healthy.
The last few times just haven't motivated me.  What is motivating me now is the same thing that motivated me last time.  (It's not the New Year).  It's a trip to Germany and Norway in August.  Europeans are beautiful and slim and cosmopolitan.  I accept that it will be impossible for me not to be identified as an American (the shoes give it away).  But I don't want to be identified as yet another self indulgent American.  Maybe I should just accept the the blatantly American shoe fits but I'm not going to.   I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

European Shoes - Style>Comfort
American Shoes - Comfort>Style




8 comments:

  1. comfort trumps style with me.....Steve's family is Norwegian. someday we will go there....and I will probably be older than an fjord and fat.

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  2. I too lost 60 lbs with weight watchers and gained it all back since i retired. I am having trouble finding the motivation to stay on a diet now. I figure if God wanted me thin he would not have made food taste so good.

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  3. The best of luck to you!! :)

    I am currently on a "yoga diet"--which means "eat what you want, but control your portion size, and do buttloads of yoga to counteract the sweets you love to eat." Wish me luck, too. :)

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  4. You is what you is and no doubt happy enough...don't worry about other nation's view of you - they too have their Achilles heels...

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  5. I'm pleased that you are making the effort to represent Americans in a positive light!
    When I was in Germany,I was confounded by my fellow soldiers who would complain about 'These foreigners'..Apparently they couldn't grasp the concept that WE were the foreigners.

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  6. Truer travel words have never been spoken: the shoes tell all. I think you can get away with ugly ass shoes in Scandinavia, but when you're headed to Italy or France ... caveat shoe-wearer.

    What a great time of year to go!!

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  7. Rosemary - oh I will wear my comfortable shoes for sure. I just hope to be a slimmer me wearing ugly American shoes.

    Mom - It is sort of ironic that so many of the things that are so good are bad for you.... sugar, fat, cigarettes.

    MHP - I have been treadmilling 4 days a week while I watch season 5 of Lost. I am too clumsy for Yoga.

    MC - True. This is just sort of the kick in the pants I needed anyway. I don't like feeling so physically limited. It's hard to be spry when you are overweight.

    Sling - It's always been amazing to me how egocentric the US is. As if the rest of the world were put their for our vacationing pleasure. If you really want to feel like a foreigner, be a 6 foot tall white woman walking down the street in Japan. They were snapping my photo.

    Booda - See. You know it's true. We never realized it until we noticed the covert glances at our footwear any time we rode the subway.

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  8. 昏睡 - I've always wanted to get a random Chinese?? comment. Thanks

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