Day after Thanksgiving

So yesterday was the goodness that is Thanksgiving. I made the green bean casserole, asparagus casserole, apple-cinnamon cranberry sauce, pumpkin cheesecake, and mashed potatoes. Everything was awesome and I'm proud to say I exercised portion control! I ate all my favorites (turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and pumpkin cheesecake) and only went over my daily points by a few points. Lucky for me, my points reset yesterday since my weigh-in day is on Thursdays.

Speaking of my WLJ (weight-loss journey), I signed up for Weight Watchers on November 11th, and have lost a total of 4.4 pounds so far. My first week, I lost 2.4 pounds, and yesterday the scale said I lost 2 pounds. I was ecstatic to see -2 on the scale considering I had just gotten off my period-imagine what the scale would have said had I not just been coming off my period!

I have a love-hate relationship with my body. The thing is, I can lose weight just as fast as I can gain it (ok, maybe I gain weight a little faster-but doesn't everybody?) so my body is very sensitive to what I put into it. If I eat really healthy and exercise, the weight usually just falls off. However, if I eat crappy and don't exercise, the weight just piles on. I was chubby for most of my childhood and finally got thin when I was 12 (I just put myself on an eat healthy and exercise diet and got down to 120 pounds at 5'4''). As the years progressed, the pounds piled back on and I found myself a little chunky last summer (2009). I put myself on another eat-healthy-and-exercise diet and lost 24 pounds in 5 months and got back down to a healthy weight for my 5'5'' frame. Sure enough, the stresses of balancing school, work, my boyfriend, my family, and trying to have a social life ensured that I forgot to make healthy eating choices and put my workouts to the back-burner...I gained back 25 pounds (gained back everything plus 1 pound). I felt disappointed and disgusted with myself to the point it was negatively affecting my relationship with my amazing boyfriend, who (God bless his heart) still thought I was the most beautiful girl in the world. I decided I had enough and signed up for Weight Watchers (I had tried a little before but didn't follow the plan right). Since then I have been following the plan to a "t" and it's  been working for me!

This time, things are going to be different. Before, I put myself on a "diet"- I'd eat super healthy, never allowing myself any occasional treats. In the past, I've either done one extreme, or the other. I either ate really healthy and exercised, or ate really crappy and didn't exercise at all. This time, I'm finding that "happy medium", as my blog says. I'm determined to live my life in moderation instead of going from one extreme to the other. This is the only way I'll lose weight and keep it off. I absolutely HAVE to lose weight and keep it off. I have a family history of heart disease and diabetes, and I will inherit that without a doubt if I don't get my weight under control while I'm still a young ripe age of 21.

For anybody who wants to lose weight and hasn't tried Weight Watchers, I strongly recommend you try it. I have been able to have all my favorite treats without feeling deprived or feeling like I'm on a "diet". Since being on WW, I've had pizza, tortellini, pie, cake, potato chips, lots of good stuff. The trick is staying in my daily points and weekly points and balancing all that out with mostly healthy meals. Those "treats" I speak of are only an occasional thing, and I do not eat them every day by any means. 95% of my meals are based on lean protein, fruits/veggies, and a whole wheat "starch" of some sort. I only drink water and tea, so I don't drink my calories.

I look forward to getting to share my life with you guys as my blog progresses. Hope you guys enjoy it!