Hudson's

My family loves to eat at this restaurant called Hudson's. My husband and I found it by accident last Valentine's Day and we took the family back to eat the following week. We've been going there at least once a week ever since. If you are in the Hudson, Ohio area, I encourage you to check it out. They also just opened a new restaurant over in the Montrose area.

The first night that we had dinner there, they had Banana's Foster for dessert. YUM! They only have it on special occasions, but if you are there and you see it on the dessert menu, I encourage you to order it. My favorite menu item is the French Chicken Baguette and the chips. They make the chips there and they are to die for. The kids menu is very good and lots for the boys to choose from other than chicken nuggets. The service is great, too. We've come to love having Sam (short for Samantha) and Nick wait on us. They smile when they see us and they have become like family.

Why am I telling you all this on a blog that is supposed to be about weight loss? Because to be successful at weight loss, you must not deprive yourself or you will not stick to the plan. My secret to eating out is to cut my dinner into a half portion and take the rest home for another meal. I have treated myself at least once a week and if you do it right, you can indulge in a great meal without going overboard.

On the WW plan, you can use the Weekly Points Plus Allowance to help you not feel deprived and I encourage you to use them. I'm pretty sure that tonight I used all of my Weekly Points Plus on my dinner. I had the Pasta Bolognese. I only ate half, but it was definitely worth every bite.

I might add that I did walk on the treadmill for over an hour today while reading my Kindle. Remember to get up off the couch and be active then treat yourself to avoid feeling deprived. And if you are in the mood for some great food, I encourage you to check out Hudson's. I hope to see you there!

Dusting Off the Old Treadmill

Not only is it time to dust off the old treadmill, it appears that I should dust off my blog too. I didn't realize that it has been so long since my last post. (Ironically, my last post talks about someone telling me to stop talking about my weight loss.)

It has been exactly two years ago today that I started this journey with Weight Watchers. I can't believe it has been that long. Over the last few months, I've been trying to maintain my goal weight and through the holidays that was definitely a challenge. I noticed that I didn't track as much in December and the scale is showing it. I suppose that it is also time to dust off the old food journal.

Weight Watchers changed their program too and now life as I knew it changed. I used to be able to look at a food item and know what the point value was based on the amount of calories, fat and fiber. Now they don't look at calories the same and threw protein and carbs into the equation. Well, no matter how we look at calories now, I can't help at laugh at this email that my sister-in-law sent me on "What is a calorie?" (I've changed the wording slightly...) Calories are the little creatures that get into your wardrobe at night and sew your clothes tighter. My closet is infested with them!

So, as I look ahead to starting the new year, my plan is to dust off the old treadmill, food journal and scale. Who is with me?

Stop Talking About It!

Not everybody wants to hear about your weight loss. I learned that lesson this week. All I said was that "I get cold now that I've lost..." and the response was "You really have to stop talking about it! We ALL know that you've lost 100 pounds." [eyes rolling at me]

I think about all the people that have been inspired to lose weight because I did talk about it. You can share your story, just know your audience. Lesson learned.

I'm reminded of another lesson about how we respond to others. I do not know who the author is, but I am always touched with the lesson.

There once was a little girl who had a bad temper. Her mother gave her a bag of nails and told her that every time she lost her temper, she must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the girl had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as she learned to control her anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. She discovered it was easier to hold her temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the girl didn’t lose her temper at all. She told her mother about it and the mother suggested that the girl now pull out one nail for each day that she was able to hold her temper. The days passed and the young girl was finally able to tell her mother that all the nails were gone. The mother took her daughter by the hand and led her to the fence.

She said, “You have done well, my daughter, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.”

You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Children are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.

I want the heart of a child. I want to share words of praise not tear others down.

A Letter of a Lifetime

Dear Shannon,
You did it! You achieved Lifetime Membership with Weight Watchers. I want you to remember this day and how good you feel. Your journey is not over.

You must make a promise to yourself to do the following:

1. Always keep track of what you eat. Continue to plan your weekly meals and stick to it.
2. Always attend your weekly WW meetings.
3. Always weigh in...accountability equals success!
4. Never think that it just doesn't matter if you gain back the weight because it does!
5. Continue to share your story because you never know who might need to hear it.

Here are some of the accomplishments over the last year and ten months:

1. Lost 101.8 pounds
2. Went from a size 22/24 pants to a size 8...oh yeah! Remember that dance that you did in the dressing room?
3. Stopped shopping in the plus size section. The lady at the store even told you that you might be in the wrong store and that their other store would have your size. You floated down the mall...your feet never touched the ground that night.
4. You did two 5Ks in one day!
5. You've formed healthy habits that you can pass down to your children.

I'm writing you this letter today, because I don't want you to start listening to those people that keep asking you when you are going to stop "dieting" and when are you going to get back to "eating normal" again? During the Christmas season of 2008, you bought a winter coat for your best friend. It was beautiful. You said that you wanted to be able to wear a coat like that someday. Well, I've attached a picture to this letter of you wearing a coat very similar in style to that coat you wished that you could wear. Well, your wish came true and you worked hard to make it happen. So, wear it with pride and know that you achieved lifetime today.

Love,
Shannon

Team You!

Do you find that you are spending so much of your time is spent taking care of others? As a wife and mother with a full time job, I know that "yes" would be my answer to that question. I had not been taking care of myself at all and my weight was out of control. Finally, I figured out that I had to take care of me too.

Your needs are important and worthwhile.

You can't do this alone. You need a support system. Who does that involve? Your family, friends, co-workers are all possible players to include on your team. My friend told me the other day that her husband is supportive...sometimes. He told her that they weren't going to switch to sugar-free syrup because he and the boys weren't going to suffer just because she was trying to lose weight. After I picked my chin up off the ground, I said, "Then buy both kinds of syrup and don't let that stop you." You will find that there are people out there, who should be supportive, but instead will sabotage your efforts by making you feel guilty.

Do you have someone in your life that says "Here, I made this just for you." If you don't feel that you can be assertive in this case, then the solution to the food giver is to smile and say, "Thank you. I'm going to save this for later." Then throw it away. They really don't care that you eat it...they just want to know that you took it.

I have had the best support system and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them for being on my team! A day doesn't go by that I get a message from someone who tells me that I have inspired them to lose weight. What they don't know is that they have held me accountable and each of them have played a part on my team through their kind words.

Now, go hand out the pom-poms and let's gather your support system to rally around YOU today!

Two Weeks of Maintenance Update

Maintain...what does that mean? So, I looked it up. One of the meanings is "to carry on; continue." At the end of my first week, I lost 0.2 pounds. I said to her, "that is maintaining, right?" She said, "No, that is a loss." Now, it depends on how you look at it really. If you are trying to lose weight, then I would say celebrate that loss. However, when trying to maintain, I would say that is pretty darn close.

Another meaning of maintain is "to defend or hold against criticism or attack." Now that is powerful. The saboteurs are coming out. I've heard a few times in the past few weeks that now it is finally over and you can eat again. Well, you'll just gain it all back. It is as if they are watching me and waiting to say, "I told you so." So now more than ever, I need to defend. But I am also in need of defending against myself...my own stinkin' thinkin' that comes out from time to time. I have these four extra points that I'm supposed to be eating everyday in addition to my other daily points allowance. This can really play with your mind. It is so easy to fall back into bad habits. Which leads me to the next meaning...

...of the word is "to support a style of living." I've done a lot of thinking about that meaning. This wasn't a diet, but a live it! A way of life. A style of living and good healthy habits. I encourage all of you to look at weight loss as a life long journey and a way of living. It isn't temporary...it is forever. It is a challenge to maintain. I have a love affair with cookies and they are a "red light" food for me. I can't have them in my house. Now, I'm not talking about Oreos...I'm talking about fresh, baked cookies right out of the oven. I just can't do it in moderation no matter how many extra points.

Well, I lost 1.2 pounds this week at the scale. Not sure what is happening. I'm still trying to get into that maintenance mode and out of the weight loss mentality. It is hard, I'm not going to fool you. And I am scared. So, stay tuned as I journey through the maintenance avenue. I'm looking forward to becoming lifetime.

PS...Weight Watchers asked me today, if I'd be interested in working for them! What do you think I should do?

Celebrate!

I woke up this morning at 5:30 AM because I just couldn't sleep. I was so nervous and excited all at the same time. As I headed to Weight Watchers this morning, I was filled with such anticipation. When I stepped on the scale, I watched Velva's face. Velva is the lady that weighs me every week. I go to the same scale because I'm silly that way. She never shows any emotion. As I stared at her face looking for some sort of sign, I became nervous. Maybe I didn't really do it this week. But then I saw her eyes get real big as she took another look on the screen. Then she said, "You lost 100 pounds!"

My arms went up in the air and tears began to flow. Cheers from my friends standing in the line behind me. Hugs and high fives all around. It was one of the best moments of my life.

During the meeting, Nancy called me up to the front. She announced that I had lost 100 pounds. The members in the room stood to their feet and started to applaud. Nancy asked me for my "before" picture because she knows that I carry it around with me. She showed everyone my picture and talked a little bit about my journey. As I talked to the crowded room, I had big tears in my eyes. Tears of happiness.

At Weight Watchers, we work for stickers and charms. Today, I received my additional 5 pound sticker, a bravo sticker, a 100 pound GOLD trinket to go on my 10% key chain, the 100 pound magnet, a sticker that said "perfect", the trinket that represent GOAL, and a certificate of accomplishment signed by the President of Weight Watchers and my leader, Nancy. I also received a bouquet of beautiful flowers from my friends, Dennis and Carol.

I am truly appreciative for programs like Weight Watchers. Losing weight is very hard and not everyone can stick with it. What I like about the program is that you don't have to deprive yourself of your favorites. If you tell yourself, you can't have pizza or ice cream then you are only going to want to eat pizza and ice cream. Have your favorites in moderation. One of the ladies at the meeting said it perfectly today, "I learned to only eat one M&M at a time. One M&M tastes the same as a handful of them."

So as I head into the next six weeks of maintenance, I am reminded that this is not the end, but only the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Won't you join me at the next Weight Watchers meeting? Because people who attend WW meetings lose 3x more weight than people who don't. Because sometimes you need a meeting, but sometimes a meeting needs you!