After a summer of enjoying travel, backyard barbecues, meals out, and not tracking my points, I am now dealing with weight gain. I will admit it is a bit disheartening. One thing that I have learned on my weight loss journey is that I need to be committed to a healthier lifestyle day in and day out in order to keep the weight off.
I reached my goal weight 54 weeks ago with the help of WW. I got there by tracking my points and attending a weekly workshop. This past summer I did not track and attended only one workshop. The result? I am now dealing with weight gain – a gain of five pounds! But that being said, I am not going to go back to my original start weight. This is just a bump on the road.
Now it is time to turn it around! I headed back to my favorite WW workshop and hopped on the scale to see my weigh gain. I knew that I had gained the weight but stepping on the scale and having it recorded makes it now something that I need to deal with.
Dealing With Weight Gain
How To Turn It Around
Start Tracking! I am committed to tracking my food choices. What I love most about WW is that no foods are off limits. This is what makes the plan sustainable for me. However, it is up to me to make better choices and balance my choices. If I want to have a glass of wine with dinner, I need to plan for it. If I want a warm chocolate muffin for dessert I make my two point Chocolate Banana Bread.
Attend a Workshop. It felt good to be back in the room with others that understand the struggles of weight loss and weight maintenance. We share recipes, strategies, acceptance, and support. We are a community.
Move More. I was thrilled to get back in the pool last week swimming my laps. Swimming is my favorite activity! I was banned from the pool for a bit due to knee surgery. The knee surgery in early August had derailed a lot of my physical activity. I am getting back my knee and leg strength with time and physical therapy. It is taking me longer than I thought it would to heal, and this has hurt my ability to be active, but I am slowly getting there.
Learn from My Weight Gain. All throughout this journey I have learned about making better choices and learning how to balance those decisions. Weight maintenance is not stagnant – it can be up a bit and then down a bit. Learning what works for me has been a process. I have taken time to reflect on my actions and considered how my food choices have impacted me. Sometimes the indulgences were well worth the cost, and other times it simply wasn’t.
Moving Forward. It is time to look forward and not backwards. I have learned the skills and need to put them fully back into place to get back to a healthy weight – one where I feel my best. I’m letting my past bad decisions go and focusing on the future.
How many of you have been in my shoes? If you are dealing with summer weight gain, join me in committing to a healthier lifestyle.
