10 Pounds Lost!

Weigh in number two and the results are in - I have already lost 10 pounds!  This just  in my first two complete weeks of following the Weight Watchers Points Plus system for men. I haven't done anything dramatic. I still haven't started a regular work out program.

These are few of the things I can pinpoint that have worked:

1. Keep Track of What I Eat
I am religiously counting what I eat. If I am not entirely sure of the points, I either don't eat it or I average up on the possible points.

2. Eat Half Portions
Stacey and I started WW together right in the middle of finals. Neither of us has had the time to cook at home so we have eaten out quite a bit.  The difference has been, I do not feel compelled to eat the entire serving. Instead, I will half it and eat the leftovers for lunch.

3. Make Smarter Choices
Just the other night, I had Dickey's Barbecue. Instead of eating the sausage, I opted for the turkey and chicken. Keeping to the "half-strat" I set aside half of the meat to make a fideo dish with it later.

4. Be Bold at Restaurants 
Early last week, I met a friend for dinner at a local asian fusion spot. I ordered one of the dinner specials when I noticed it came with an egg roll, which I knew was a no-no. I asked the waitress to substitute it with egg drop soup instead.  No problem. I'm also not a big fan of salads. Tonight my choices at dinner were a high point Caesar salad or cole slaw. It wasn't on the menu, but I asked for a fruit bowl. When the waitress said they had none, I asked nicely if she could ask the bartender for some strawberries and pineapple that they use with drinks. They threw in a few orange slices and I had a fruit bowl.

Today was supposed to be the blog exchange on the Blogathon.  My intended partner and I were not able to coordinate for today. Instead, I encourage you to check out Hey, Eddie! for another man's successful take on his Weight Watcher experience.

He's the dude that makes the rainbows and lollipops statement:

Time to Get Serious

I vowed to Stacey, my wife, that this time I was serious about losing weight. (Oh, by the way, we are doing this together)  I'm tired of my knees hurting and I don't like the way I feel or look.  There I said it.  If this doesn't work, I will have to have the surgery and I don't want to be put under.  There is my motivation - FEAR.

I am not sure, but I think I will make this my post's theme for Mondays even though I am starting this on Tuesday due to the inconvenience of the world news.  I have been battling (can you really call it a battle when there has been no real concerted effort?) my weight gain for over fifteen years now.  I have gained an average of ten pounds a year since I started teaching at the Law Magnet and I was already overweight when I began.  I remember Dr. Allread's first words when she greeted me at the interview, "you sure have put on some weight."  My only reply, "you sure have gotten grayer."  

When I was in high school and even college, I was skinny.  So skinny, my own mother called me Flaco Feo, which loosely translated into English means Ugly Skinny One.  Hispanic moms sure have a way with their loving nicknames.

I have to say I am not off to a great start with the ladies at the WW center. One of the receptionists interrupted me while I was trying to ask if one the handbooks I was receiving was available in a PDF format so I could read it on my iPad.  I think she anticipated that I was going to ask if I could buy it somewhere else.  The only person I let anticipate what I am going to say without getting irritated is Stacey.  I then sat through a decent talk about tips for eating out.  Unfortunately, I could not get past the fact the trainer was chewing gum the entire time.  Did no one ever tell her YOU DON'T CHEW GUM WHILE PUBLIC SPEAKING!

Ok, enough with the irritations.  I decided to be weighed fully clothed (shorts, t-shirt, hoody and running shoes) rather than strip down like many of the people did before me.  Although the weigh in takes place as you walk in, the tally is private.  Not that I care; I would prefer to be shamed into weight loss.  At the end of the night, I receive my newbie packet.  This morning I registered all my e-tools and began keeping tabs of what I eat.

Day One seems to be going ok.

Oh, and for that rude receptionist, you can buy the book elsewhere!