Weighty Wednesday--Fit Bit Scales

Through an odd string of incidences my BIL had a second set of Fitbit Scales, so he gave it to us since he knew we were a Fitbit family.

It is a VERY nice gift!

There are two features that make this scale better than the digital scale we had been using.

1) the round area showing the digital numbers backlights when you get on the scale. I LOVE this feature! I prefer to weigh first thing in the morning and it tends to be dark when I get up, so I would have to use a flashlight to see the number.

2) this scale knows who you are. When the scale is set up your information from your Fitbit is linked to the scale, which means every time you step on the scale and it records your information, it sends that information to your Fitbit stats page.

If you set a weight goal (I did), it will tell you how many pounds to go, and it also gives you a calculated BMI (NOT a number I was happy to look at!). All this information is at the touch of the computer when you look up your sleep patterns, number of steps, number of miles and how many of those steps were truly active.

All-in-all this scale is a very nice and handy tool to have in the bathroom. But the key to any weight-loss tool is to actually use it.

I think I will since I tend to be a very visual person. The graph is exactly what I need to keep me focused!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- New Year, New Attitude

Good Morning!

I have to admit that over the holidays I took a mental break on my weight loss journey.

I had a HORRIBLE weigh-in. I knew I would because I weigh myself at home. I knew what was happening because I weigh myself at home, plus I could feel my size 6 jeans getting tighter and tighter . . . and tighter. So tight and uncomfortable, I moved into my 'emergency' size 8 jeans.

I don't like wearing my size 8's.

When I went to my first Weight Watcher meeting of the year, I decided to wear my HEAVIEST clothes.

Why did you do that, you lunatic?

So the weight loss would be that much sweeter next week. :-)

My previous weigh-in was in early December and I only gained 3 pounds over the Christmas/New Year holidays, BUT the problem started as far back as in July.

So what did I weigh?

146.6 pounds. EEEEEEeeeeeeekkkkkkk!!

Remember my goal weight is 130 pounds with a +/- 2 pound wiggle room. 

This needs to be fixed, and fixed now!

And I wasn't the only one in the room with this issue. Oh, no, my friends, there were at least 10 other ladies at this particular meeting who had been at goal and had wandered from the path. Remember a year or so ago, when I said the journey continues even though one reaches a goal weight. It's true. We will be challenged our entire life with making the right choices.

The key is to realize when you have to wake up, be accountable, and start making those right choices again.

Into this scenario comes Weight Watcher's Simple Start.

Simple start is an expansion on the idea of Simple Filling--a technique that I LOVE--but with the added advantage of meal suggestions.

As I tended to get into a rut while on Simply Filling, the simply, easy menu suggestions really help to get the ideas flowing and gave me the excitement to jump into the program again! I went to the store and bought a bunch of awesome food products and I'm happy to start!

Along with the Simple Start program, my hubby bought a Fit Bit for my daughter and myself---and let me tell you, she is kicking our A$$'s with all the swimming that she does!!

So did I give up my Weight Watcher's ActiveLink?

Yep, totally.

The problem with the ActiveLink is that it was limited in its use. It calculates how many WW Activity Points I earned. I tend to follow a set walking agenda and after a year and a half of use, I knew exactly how many activity points I did or didn't earn in a day. But now I wanted to know my pace and my distance. ActiveLink couldn't provide the information. So I started using Map My Walk (a GPS based tracker). This gave me the info I needed for my walks, but I can't leave it on all the time to get my daily steps because it would suck my phone battery dry. Pedometer's are old school and bulky. I like the Fit Bit, but I'm still fine tuneing my walking pace, since it's calculated according to your height and sex. I KNOW I have a longer stride than someone else my height. So I entered my 'calculated stride length into the equation. It still isn't quite right (in other words, matching the GPS distances, but I'm getting it closer to the 4.25 miles that I walk. Actually the FitBit calculated 3.15 miles, so being off by over a mile is a big deal!

ActiveLink is a tool. Map My Walk app is a tool. FitBit is a tool.

The key is to use a tool to get the result you want, but if that particular tool doesn't work for you it's time to switch it up.

My Fit Bit tracks my steps, activity level and sleep patterns. Do I need all this info?

At this point in my journey--Yes. Will I need to know about my sleep patterns a month from now? Not really, unless I'm having some issues with my sleeping patterns.

Use the tools available that work for you. Not every tool will work for everyone, so be open to change.

Remember, New Year, New Attitude. I'm excited about this new year, are you??

Later, Peeps!