Losing Weight . . . again

How many of us manage to lose a huge amount of weight, but then end up regaining the aforementioned weight?

*raises hand*

I have to admit that I'm really good at losing weight. Heck, I've managed to lose a lot of weight over my 50+ years.

First it was that pesky ten pounds, which, in turn, morphed into a twenty pound gain and loss, that has now become an off-and-on thirty pound issue.

In the past, I've done well on Weight Watchers. I'm a fan of their weight-loss program. I can lose the weight, but one problem that seems to rear it's ugly head is the fact that I can't seem to MAINTAIN my weight loss.

Weight maintenance is a different mindset than weight loss and I can't seem to wrap my head around the difference. I add back the calories to maintain, but over time I become lazy with my tracking, sloppy with my quantities, and lackadaisical with my weight-ins.

Enter Real Appeal.

There are a few perks to this particular program.

• It's paid for by my insurance--BONUS #1
• Meetings are online/phone--BONUS #2
• It is a comprehensive program that includes nutrition, exercise and motivational encouragement
• Plus the huge package of goodies is a bonus: exercise DVD's, food scale, weighing scale, and assorted booklets
• The program is calorie oriented, but it breaks it down into usable information, such as fiber, protein, sugars, carbohydrates, etc.
• Oh, and did I mention, IT'S FREE?!

Before I attended my first session, I downloaded the app to my phone.

Personally, I do much better with my weight loss when I'm accountable for everything that goes into my mouth by TRACKING everything I eat. I just feel stupid documenting "large spoonful of peanut butter", so I don't eat it.

Like most tracking apps they tend to be cluttered with other people's info, but the more you use certain products, the sooner the app learns to put your foods at the top of the list.

There are a few things I need to remember when I track:

• Be honest with yourself--yes, you shoved that cookie in your mouth, it counts.
• Be truthful with your quantities. Count, weigh and measure everything. Over time, we lose the ability to "eyeball" the correct amounts.
• Be forgiving. We all have bad days. Just don't let the bad day turn into a bad week.
• Be realistic. As an older, post-menopausal woman, it is harder to lose weight than it was when I was in my twenties.

That's a start for now!

MAGs