Weight Watchers: Week One - Days 3 & 4

So by some virtue, my home scale says I only weight 206.1 lbs. The scale at the spa at Saratoga Springs Resort at Disney World said I was 210 lbs. I have a feeling my doctor's scale would agree with the spa scale. I reported that I was 206.1 lbs. to Weight Watcher's, though. If I get weighed when I go to the doctor (even when it's not the day for me weigh-in), I'll list that, too. With the sudden weight loss according to the website, I lost one daily point. This brings my daily points to 31 instead of 32. For a whole day after I changed my loss goal from 10 lbs. (must have been a type) to 80 lbs., I didn't get any points added. I'm not complaining (maybe just a little).

Yesterday, we have bulgogi and rice with blackberry wine and kimchi. It was delicious and surprisingly not that indulging. The mini-muffin I had gave me more points than the rice did! I'll admit I had a munchies moment and ate 3 sausage patties with brown rice for lunch.... I just wanted to get rid of them so they didn't stare me in the face every time I look in the freezer. Shame on me.

Me posing with some vanilla ice-cream at
Tokyo Dining at Epcot. (Jan. 2012)

Those things aside, we're doing pretty well. We bought a bunch of frozen and fresh veggies and fruits. We also got a few of the Weight Watchers brand frozen meals and anytime snacks to try. Jake has noticed that some of the frozen meals are good but not completely satisfying. Also, we've learned that other brands that advertise lean frozen meals come out to about the same point values as the WW meals. This is good because knowing there is a variety out there is much more of an incentive to stick with the plan.

Jake and I have resolved to eat cuties and carrots instead of muffins (not that I eat them often at all) or rice and hot-dogs (which I eat very often). This way, we'll be helping our bodies fight off urges to eat more than we need to between meals. It will also help us to transition into eating smaller portions at meal times.

I have had several friends tell me that it's all about protein and portions. A friend I had in college was doing WW meetings freshman year. She always made it a goal for herself to not eat anything after 8pm and to only drink flavored water instead. She told me that it is so hard to get into the diet at first but that once you have trained yourself to eat smaller portions and to keep yourself accountable, it's easy.

That's really all it's about. Eating smaller portions and making hearty foods that are healthy.

Another example, we had PF Chang's on Saturday night. We opted for gluten-free because it usually contains less carbs = less points (confirmed by nutritional facts on their website). Jake had beef and broccoli, and I had chicken fried rice. What we forgot when looking at the points? Each entree is the equivalent of 3-4 servings. So, Jake had actually eaten 2 servings of beef and broccoli for 9 points (not counting the rice = 5 points per serving), and I ate 2 servings of chicken fried rice for 16 points. Not a huge binge for either of us, but it was a real eye-opener. Should we have put one serving on our plate, it would be a snack. There would be less than a cup of actual food on the plate at all.

Discovery! The chicken, rice and green bean dinner I made the other night fills an entire dinner plate and boasts 7-10 points depending on how much rice you eat. That's a huge difference in the amount of food one can eat.

Part of the reason is that WW programs in power foods. They are filling, nutritious alternatives to the things we usually love to eat. Chicken instead of pork or beef. Lettuce and kimchi are also considered power foods (yes, kimchi is in their database, as well).

To all my friends who are or will be starting WW, good luck on finding those foods you love that don't break your PointsPlus bank (or your wallet).

Biggest Mistakes I Made During Undergrad

Almost six years ago, I started my undergraduate experience at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. There is not one experience I would change because I think it all ultimately led to meeting and marrying my husband. The bonfires, weekend parties at Hannan's house, hair dying parties, drama, choir tours, and the late nights with friends were all worth it. I had such a great experience that the only thing I regret is not doing more and not spending more time with my friends my senior year.

Now that I have graduated and am working on my second bachelor's degree, I have started to see the mistakes I made with my learning and the false assumptions I made.

1. Professors don't care if I succeed or fail (but they'd rather I do well). I used to have a lot of anxiety about missing a class or turning something in unfinished when I had no reason to be. The pressures I felt were all self-induced and largely unwarranted.

2. Education is every bit what you put into it. I have always known this, but why I lacked before was trust and faith in myself that I could do well and be successful, that I could do well and didn't have to worry about being the best or the brightest (even though that would be a nice bonus).

3. Socialization is an important aspect of the undergraduate experience but it shouldn't outweigh the real reason the undergraduate experience exists: EDUCATION. I spent a lot of time being worried about spending too little time with close friends or about the week's drama surrounding my friends. I realized how socially sensitive I was and how it really took away from my academic focus. I started to care less about school and more about the relationships in my life.

I hope that anyone starting their undergrad experience takes note. It's supposed to be a new experience that is both fun and exciting. Don't get caught up in the experience, though. It's about your future and your education.