foxfieldco
02-28-2004, 08:58 PM
And The Winner Is
You!
It's Academy Award season again. It can be fun to reflect on the movies you've seen in the past year, and to celebrate the ones that were really great.
Why not applaud your weight-loss efforts in the same way? There is a link between recognizing accomplishment and achieving future success; take advantage of it!
And The Award Goes To
You've probably heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about the importance of rewarding yourself for all the hard work you've been doing to improve your health. Why? Well, rewards help you stay enthusiastic, raise your self-esteem, and motivate you to keep going.
There are lots of awards available in your Meeting Center. Speak up if you've earned one! And you can organize your own ceremony. Think about the following reasons for celebration:
If you've used Storyboarding from Weight Watchers Tools For Living, how has it helped?
If you've used Mental Rehearsing, also from Tools For Living, which situations has it helped you with?
Has your weight loss been noticed? How did that make you feel?
Have you been paying attention to portion sizes?
Are you able to wear something you haven't been able to fit into in a long time?
Are you a Lifetime Member? Almost a Lifetime Member?
Have you been able to ask anyone for help? Whom did you ask, and how did he or she help?
What has been your best performance in a weight-related situation?
Have you persevered for a long time now, and are you starting to see and feel results?
When you're working toward something, it helps to think about what you've been able to accomplish. At your next Meeting, ask the friends around you what they're proud of about their progress so far.
~
14 ways to celebrate without gaining weight
You know the feeling. You've hopped on the scale and wow the number is significantly lower that you expected. Or you catch sight of yourself in a shop window and barely recognize yourself, you look so good.
Or maybe you've won a prize, been promoted, come first place in a contest, beaten the opposition, or just got lucky in love. It's a human response in situations like these to want to celebrate; you feel like letting your hair down, painting the town red.
With most of us though, sooner or later our celebrations lead to food and drink. Of course! But rewarding yourself this way can be counterproductive over the long haul, especially when you're trying to get and keep your weight down. So what can we do to celebrate our achievements that feels great but doesn't involve thousands of calories? Here are some suggestions:
Quick Buzzes
A facial always makes one feel special. There is something about the smell of those creams and lotions and the clean skin we come away with that is pampering bliss.
Go for glamour with a photo at one of those studios that makes you look like a movie star or a top model. Or have an "olden days" photo taken, one you can pass on to your grandchildren someday.
A new hairdo is always a huge morale booster and a great reward. Try a new color or get your hair waved, straightened, or braided.
Give yourself flowers. Have them delivered or pick up a bunch. Better still, buy lots (try a farmer's market) and spread them through the entire house.
Rent a video that you've always wanted to see. If it's a sad movie, import a friend or two for support.
Buy yourself a new outfit. If you're in the process of losing weight, buy it in your goal size as a major incentive to go the final distance. Or please yourself today with one that fits and flatters now.
Don't always wait for overseas trips to get things duty-free buy an expensive perfume and splash it around. You're celebrating, right?
Float for half an hour or so in a huge bubble bath. Grab that book or magazine you've been dying to read, light some candles, and keep topping up the hot water.
Time Treats
Of all our assets, time is perhaps the most elusive. There rarely seems to be enough of it to do the things that really give us pleasure. So what better way to say "Congratulations" to yourself than by finding time to do the things that you especially enjoy?
Read that new book. You know, the one that has been gathering dust beside the bed. Give yourself an entire evening to read, not just 15 minutes at bedtime.
Spend time with a friend whom you've been promising to get together with for ages. Go shopping, take a hike, even talk for an hour on the phone if he or she's out of town.
Visit that museum, art gallery or new craft store you've been dying to get around to.
Scrap your datebook and seize a whole day just for you. No plans, no pack drill. Take your watch off and just play it by ear.
Be a kid for an afternoon. Go fly a kite, buy a bunch of balloons and give them away as you go, get a yo-yo and practice all those silly stunts again. Or pull out an old boardgame that you love but never play anymore. Monopoly, anyone?
Organize your photographs. Write descriptions on the backs or have some fun making up silly captions. Stick them in an album or frame a whole wall-full.
Once you start thinking of special ways to treat yourself, dozens more will come to mind. Soon, rather than routinely slipping into a bakery the minute you feel a yen to treat yourself coming on, you'll think again. You'll find yourself automatically popping open a bottle of bubble bath rather than the bubbly, passing the chocolate store on the way to the florist, and dialing the theater for tickets to a show rather than ordering in pizza.
And even if you choose to do none of the above, as the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it."
~
11 ways to feel good right now
We all know that sensible weight loss should be a gradual process, but there's nothing wrong with wanting a bit of a boost in the meantime. We've come up with a selection of things you can do right this minute and over the coming week to jump-start those feel-good vibes.
Right now
De-junk your wardrobe, chucking out anything shapeless, baggy and dowdy anything that will remind you of the shape you don't want to be. Rifle through your underwear drawer and throw out all that graying, shapeless underwear and bras with the underwire popping out.
Go shopping. You don't have to completely splurge on a new wardrobe choosing one t-shirt with a great cut that will emphasize your slimming figure will make you feel better instantly.
Alternatively, another on the spot pick-me-up tip is to buy some lovely lingerie. Something that makes you feel sexy and special, not necessarily just something you think your man might like, and start feeling good about yourself from the inside out.
Drink a glass of water and resolve that from this point you are going to drink at least 6-8 glasses a day. Think you'll find it hard? Sneak glasses in to the day kick-start your morning with a mug of boiled water and a slice of lemon, keep a bottle next to you while you work and take sips from it throughout the day, have a glass of water before each and every meal (you might even feel less hungry too).
Tonight
Take some time out for yourself. Whether it's insisting you sit down for fifteen minutes to read the latest Harry Potter, meditating, or having a soak in the bath with a good book you need to chill, and others in your life need to start getting used to the idea too.
Do something active ten minutes of sit-ups and push-ups, a trip to the pool at the Y with the kids, or a salsa lesson with friends. Commit to doing something that gets you moving.
All this week
Make sure your plate has more vegetables and salad than anything else it's healthy and fills you up without filling up your POINTS budget.
Commit to eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day if you have a glass of orange juice at breakfast followed by a slice of toast and a kiwi fruit you're more than a third of the way there.
Pack healthy snacks such as raw peeled and washed carrots, grapes, or a banana and avoid the lure of sweets and chips.
Build activity into your day get off the bus or subway early and walk, park the car farther away, use stairs rather than elevator, go out for a walk or a swim on your lunch break.
Find yourself a buddy, whether it's someone on the message boards with whom you can swap tips and moans, or someone to run with. You'll feel less isolated; more motivated and might well make a good friend in the process.
And finally, just feel proud for deciding to lose weight and commit yourself to changing your life. It's a big step and a huge reason why you should be feeling on top of the world!
~
weight-loss firsts
In the spirit of a brand-new year, we asked our Community users what sorts of things they've done for the first time ever or the first time in ages since losing weight. Some wrote that they can fit into clothes they haven't worn in years, others are fitter than they've ever been. Here are some of the inspiring and often funny posts our readers shared. After you've read them, you might want to post some of your own achievements. And don't think you need to be at your weight goal to be celebrating such firsts: Noting these kinds of milestones during your weight loss journey can help motivate you to "go all the way."
Community Firsts
"For the first time in my life, I truly feel healthy. And for the first time since age 10, I am a healthy weight for my height."
"I can run for several minutes on the treadmill. I used to pant and sweat like crazy just doing a fast walk."
"I have muscles and can flex them to impress my fiancι!"
"I can pass on desserts at work luncheons or buffets."
"The biggest first for me has been buttoning a size 10 jacket I bought almost four years ago. I have never been able to button that jacket, and now I can. Yippee!"
"I willingly have pictures taken and actually look at myself in mirrors."
"I [can] wear a pair of gym shoes I couldn't get into last year. My feet were too swollen."
"My wedding ring slides off easily again!"
"[I wear] pant suits without control-top hosiery I love being able to wear knee highs!"
"I can wear some of my teenage daughter's clothes!"
"People come to me for fitness advice!"
"My ex-husband suddenly realized I was really beautiful and had lost a lot of weight. He actually told me so. That was the best."
"I can put on my leather jacket and the arms aren't tight."
"I don't have 'losing weight' as a New Year's resolution for 2002!"
~
getting confidence from your closet
When Terri decided to try Weight Watchers Meetings, her motivation came from her clothes. "Everything was worn out and I desperately needed new things," she says. "I spent an entire morning trying on clothes, but nothing fit right or looked nice. I stood in front of the mirror and vowed never to go through that experience again."
Terri's not the only one whose inspiration came from her closet. Laura, another Meetings member, says, "I wanted to be able to shop in a normal store, not a plus-size store or the plus-size department of a regular store."
Clothes are as much a measurement of your weight losses and gains as a scale is (we all know when our pants are snug, or when the buttons on our shirt stretch the fabric). And too-tight can often lead to time-to-take-action. You can use clothes as a motivator on your way to your weight goal, too, by working toward a certain size or trying on old things that are now too big. And when you get there, too-big clothes can serve as a reminder of why you worked so hard, and why it was worth it. Nothing feels better than loose pants!
Clothes Goals
We asked real Meetings members and Weight Watchers.com users how they used their clothes to help them lose weight. Here's what they said:
Size Strategy #1: "Never Again"
Use this strategy: When you're just getting started.
Using too-tight clothes as a "last straw" worked like a charm for Terri. Keeping in mind the "never again" decision she had made during that fateful shopping trip, she stuck with her weight loss efforts, and lost 91.4 pounds! She even became a WeightWatchers.com Inspirational Story (click here to read her story).
"Not being able to fit into clothes you could wear previously can be a shock to the system," says Dr. Misty Hook, assistant professor of psychology at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, and a former Weight Watchers counselor. "It can make you say, 'I'm going to really work on my weight loss efforts until I'm back where I need to be.'"
Size Strategy #2: Something to Work Toward
Use this strategy: When you're on your way.
"My confidence comes from the two pairs of jeans I saved from my pre-kids days, over 9 years ago," says Ann, a Weight Watchers Online subscriber. "I try them on from time to time, and I'm getting closer to getting them buttoned!"
Whether it's pre-baby pants or the little black dress you wore to your college social dance, by keeping your "pre-weight-gain" clothes, says Hook, you can say 'I once was there, I can be there again.' And as you lose weight, you can use them as a three-dimensional progress tracker, too, by trying them on and seeing how you're doing. "It's reinforcing to look at how far you've come," says Hook.
Here's another idea: "The moment I can fit into a new size, I buy it," says, Donna, another Meetings member. "It's a motivator beyond measurement. The new clothes are a daily reminder of what I've achieved so far and why I don't want to give up."
Size Strategy #3: "Look At Me Now!"
Use this strategy: When you're already at your weight goal.
Laura, the Meetings member who wanted to avoid plus-size stores, looked to her closet for one more boost of motivation: "I got rid of all my bigger-size clothes," she says. "I can't afford to buy another new wardrobe, so I'll have to maintain this weight!"
Jamie is a Meetings member, too, and also a Weight Watchers eTools subscriber. She says: "Now that some of my smaller pants are getting baggy, I have bagged up all my bigger ones and I'm hauling them to Goodwill. It's a real motivator to have my closet shrink as I have!"
It's Academy Award season again. It can be fun to reflect on the movies you've seen in the past year, and to celebrate the ones that were really great.
Why not applaud your weight-loss efforts in the same way? There is a link between recognizing accomplishment and achieving future success; take advantage of it!
And The Award Goes To
You've probably heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about the importance of rewarding yourself for all the hard work you've been doing to improve your health. Why? Well, rewards help you stay enthusiastic, raise your self-esteem, and motivate you to keep going.
There are lots of awards available in your Meeting Center. Speak up if you've earned one! And you can organize your own ceremony. Think about the following reasons for celebration:
If you've used Storyboarding from Weight Watchers Tools For Living, how has it helped?
If you've used Mental Rehearsing, also from Tools For Living, which situations has it helped you with?
Has your weight loss been noticed? How did that make you feel?
Have you been paying attention to portion sizes?
Are you able to wear something you haven't been able to fit into in a long time?
Are you a Lifetime Member? Almost a Lifetime Member?
Have you been able to ask anyone for help? Whom did you ask, and how did he or she help?
What has been your best performance in a weight-related situation?
Have you persevered for a long time now, and are you starting to see and feel results?
When you're working toward something, it helps to think about what you've been able to accomplish. At your next Meeting, ask the friends around you what they're proud of about their progress so far.
~
14 ways to celebrate without gaining weight
You know the feeling. You've hopped on the scale and wow the number is significantly lower that you expected. Or you catch sight of yourself in a shop window and barely recognize yourself, you look so good.
Or maybe you've won a prize, been promoted, come first place in a contest, beaten the opposition, or just got lucky in love. It's a human response in situations like these to want to celebrate; you feel like letting your hair down, painting the town red.
With most of us though, sooner or later our celebrations lead to food and drink. Of course! But rewarding yourself this way can be counterproductive over the long haul, especially when you're trying to get and keep your weight down. So what can we do to celebrate our achievements that feels great but doesn't involve thousands of calories? Here are some suggestions:
Quick Buzzes
A facial always makes one feel special. There is something about the smell of those creams and lotions and the clean skin we come away with that is pampering bliss.
Go for glamour with a photo at one of those studios that makes you look like a movie star or a top model. Or have an "olden days" photo taken, one you can pass on to your grandchildren someday.
A new hairdo is always a huge morale booster and a great reward. Try a new color or get your hair waved, straightened, or braided.
Give yourself flowers. Have them delivered or pick up a bunch. Better still, buy lots (try a farmer's market) and spread them through the entire house.
Rent a video that you've always wanted to see. If it's a sad movie, import a friend or two for support.
Buy yourself a new outfit. If you're in the process of losing weight, buy it in your goal size as a major incentive to go the final distance. Or please yourself today with one that fits and flatters now.
Don't always wait for overseas trips to get things duty-free buy an expensive perfume and splash it around. You're celebrating, right?
Float for half an hour or so in a huge bubble bath. Grab that book or magazine you've been dying to read, light some candles, and keep topping up the hot water.
Time Treats
Of all our assets, time is perhaps the most elusive. There rarely seems to be enough of it to do the things that really give us pleasure. So what better way to say "Congratulations" to yourself than by finding time to do the things that you especially enjoy?
Read that new book. You know, the one that has been gathering dust beside the bed. Give yourself an entire evening to read, not just 15 minutes at bedtime.
Spend time with a friend whom you've been promising to get together with for ages. Go shopping, take a hike, even talk for an hour on the phone if he or she's out of town.
Visit that museum, art gallery or new craft store you've been dying to get around to.
Scrap your datebook and seize a whole day just for you. No plans, no pack drill. Take your watch off and just play it by ear.
Be a kid for an afternoon. Go fly a kite, buy a bunch of balloons and give them away as you go, get a yo-yo and practice all those silly stunts again. Or pull out an old boardgame that you love but never play anymore. Monopoly, anyone?
Organize your photographs. Write descriptions on the backs or have some fun making up silly captions. Stick them in an album or frame a whole wall-full.
Once you start thinking of special ways to treat yourself, dozens more will come to mind. Soon, rather than routinely slipping into a bakery the minute you feel a yen to treat yourself coming on, you'll think again. You'll find yourself automatically popping open a bottle of bubble bath rather than the bubbly, passing the chocolate store on the way to the florist, and dialing the theater for tickets to a show rather than ordering in pizza.
And even if you choose to do none of the above, as the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it."
~
11 ways to feel good right now
We all know that sensible weight loss should be a gradual process, but there's nothing wrong with wanting a bit of a boost in the meantime. We've come up with a selection of things you can do right this minute and over the coming week to jump-start those feel-good vibes.
Right now
De-junk your wardrobe, chucking out anything shapeless, baggy and dowdy anything that will remind you of the shape you don't want to be. Rifle through your underwear drawer and throw out all that graying, shapeless underwear and bras with the underwire popping out.
Go shopping. You don't have to completely splurge on a new wardrobe choosing one t-shirt with a great cut that will emphasize your slimming figure will make you feel better instantly.
Alternatively, another on the spot pick-me-up tip is to buy some lovely lingerie. Something that makes you feel sexy and special, not necessarily just something you think your man might like, and start feeling good about yourself from the inside out.
Drink a glass of water and resolve that from this point you are going to drink at least 6-8 glasses a day. Think you'll find it hard? Sneak glasses in to the day kick-start your morning with a mug of boiled water and a slice of lemon, keep a bottle next to you while you work and take sips from it throughout the day, have a glass of water before each and every meal (you might even feel less hungry too).
Tonight
Take some time out for yourself. Whether it's insisting you sit down for fifteen minutes to read the latest Harry Potter, meditating, or having a soak in the bath with a good book you need to chill, and others in your life need to start getting used to the idea too.
Do something active ten minutes of sit-ups and push-ups, a trip to the pool at the Y with the kids, or a salsa lesson with friends. Commit to doing something that gets you moving.
All this week
Make sure your plate has more vegetables and salad than anything else it's healthy and fills you up without filling up your POINTS budget.
Commit to eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day if you have a glass of orange juice at breakfast followed by a slice of toast and a kiwi fruit you're more than a third of the way there.
Pack healthy snacks such as raw peeled and washed carrots, grapes, or a banana and avoid the lure of sweets and chips.
Build activity into your day get off the bus or subway early and walk, park the car farther away, use stairs rather than elevator, go out for a walk or a swim on your lunch break.
Find yourself a buddy, whether it's someone on the message boards with whom you can swap tips and moans, or someone to run with. You'll feel less isolated; more motivated and might well make a good friend in the process.
And finally, just feel proud for deciding to lose weight and commit yourself to changing your life. It's a big step and a huge reason why you should be feeling on top of the world!
~
weight-loss firsts
In the spirit of a brand-new year, we asked our Community users what sorts of things they've done for the first time ever or the first time in ages since losing weight. Some wrote that they can fit into clothes they haven't worn in years, others are fitter than they've ever been. Here are some of the inspiring and often funny posts our readers shared. After you've read them, you might want to post some of your own achievements. And don't think you need to be at your weight goal to be celebrating such firsts: Noting these kinds of milestones during your weight loss journey can help motivate you to "go all the way."
Community Firsts
"For the first time in my life, I truly feel healthy. And for the first time since age 10, I am a healthy weight for my height."
"I can run for several minutes on the treadmill. I used to pant and sweat like crazy just doing a fast walk."
"I have muscles and can flex them to impress my fiancι!"
"I can pass on desserts at work luncheons or buffets."
"The biggest first for me has been buttoning a size 10 jacket I bought almost four years ago. I have never been able to button that jacket, and now I can. Yippee!"
"I willingly have pictures taken and actually look at myself in mirrors."
"I [can] wear a pair of gym shoes I couldn't get into last year. My feet were too swollen."
"My wedding ring slides off easily again!"
"[I wear] pant suits without control-top hosiery I love being able to wear knee highs!"
"I can wear some of my teenage daughter's clothes!"
"People come to me for fitness advice!"
"My ex-husband suddenly realized I was really beautiful and had lost a lot of weight. He actually told me so. That was the best."
"I can put on my leather jacket and the arms aren't tight."
"I don't have 'losing weight' as a New Year's resolution for 2002!"
~
getting confidence from your closet
When Terri decided to try Weight Watchers Meetings, her motivation came from her clothes. "Everything was worn out and I desperately needed new things," she says. "I spent an entire morning trying on clothes, but nothing fit right or looked nice. I stood in front of the mirror and vowed never to go through that experience again."
Terri's not the only one whose inspiration came from her closet. Laura, another Meetings member, says, "I wanted to be able to shop in a normal store, not a plus-size store or the plus-size department of a regular store."
Clothes are as much a measurement of your weight losses and gains as a scale is (we all know when our pants are snug, or when the buttons on our shirt stretch the fabric). And too-tight can often lead to time-to-take-action. You can use clothes as a motivator on your way to your weight goal, too, by working toward a certain size or trying on old things that are now too big. And when you get there, too-big clothes can serve as a reminder of why you worked so hard, and why it was worth it. Nothing feels better than loose pants!
Clothes Goals
We asked real Meetings members and Weight Watchers.com users how they used their clothes to help them lose weight. Here's what they said:
Size Strategy #1: "Never Again"
Use this strategy: When you're just getting started.
Using too-tight clothes as a "last straw" worked like a charm for Terri. Keeping in mind the "never again" decision she had made during that fateful shopping trip, she stuck with her weight loss efforts, and lost 91.4 pounds! She even became a WeightWatchers.com Inspirational Story (click here to read her story).
"Not being able to fit into clothes you could wear previously can be a shock to the system," says Dr. Misty Hook, assistant professor of psychology at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, and a former Weight Watchers counselor. "It can make you say, 'I'm going to really work on my weight loss efforts until I'm back where I need to be.'"
Size Strategy #2: Something to Work Toward
Use this strategy: When you're on your way.
"My confidence comes from the two pairs of jeans I saved from my pre-kids days, over 9 years ago," says Ann, a Weight Watchers Online subscriber. "I try them on from time to time, and I'm getting closer to getting them buttoned!"
Whether it's pre-baby pants or the little black dress you wore to your college social dance, by keeping your "pre-weight-gain" clothes, says Hook, you can say 'I once was there, I can be there again.' And as you lose weight, you can use them as a three-dimensional progress tracker, too, by trying them on and seeing how you're doing. "It's reinforcing to look at how far you've come," says Hook.
Here's another idea: "The moment I can fit into a new size, I buy it," says, Donna, another Meetings member. "It's a motivator beyond measurement. The new clothes are a daily reminder of what I've achieved so far and why I don't want to give up."
Size Strategy #3: "Look At Me Now!"
Use this strategy: When you're already at your weight goal.
Laura, the Meetings member who wanted to avoid plus-size stores, looked to her closet for one more boost of motivation: "I got rid of all my bigger-size clothes," she says. "I can't afford to buy another new wardrobe, so I'll have to maintain this weight!"
Jamie is a Meetings member, too, and also a Weight Watchers eTools subscriber. She says: "Now that some of my smaller pants are getting baggy, I have bagged up all my bigger ones and I'm hauling them to Goodwill. It's a real motivator to have my closet shrink as I have!"