Dropping a Dress Size

Since moving into my own place, I have started to feel more in control of what I am eating. It may seem like a bit of an excuse but up until now, I haven't ever felt like I've been in control of my food and/or my weight loss. It was wonderful living with my dad, having a home-cooked meal every night and having a cupboard stocked up full of snacks, but in reality some of my food choices weren't always the best, because if there are biscuits in the cupboard, then of course I'm going to eat them. But now that I have my own place, I decide not to buy things like biscuits so that I won't be tempted. My problem is that I can't just eat one biscuit; I can and I will eat the whole packet with a cup of tea! Subsequently I never really got too far with my weight loss goals and tried to compensate my poor diet by doing a lot of exercise. Exercise is great, but it can't undo or replace a bad diet. And that's one of the many things I have learned since joining Weight Watchers in Australia.

I joined up at the end of February and I religiously attend the meetings on a Monday night, which I find extremely beneficial. I have only ever attempted to lose weight by myself before and have never really been in the right mindset to succeed long term. My goals in the past have always been to lose weight for a holiday or wedding but then after the event has taken place, I feel that I can just eat whatever I want again and end up gaining the all the weight I've lost. I yo-yo quite a lot with my weight and every time I manage to shift it, I always say it'll be the last time that I gain it back again and I always say that I want to do my best not to just put it all back on. But every single time, I get down to my 'comfort' weight and think that it's OK to start veering off track and surprise surprise, the weight creeps back on (it fact, it doesn't ever just creep on, it seems to pile on - why does it go on so much easier than it comes off?!). I feel that finally my head is in the right place for making this about a healthy lifestyle, not just a diet. The Weight Watchers meetings have taught me so much about living a healthy life, not just crash-dieting for a holiday or wanting to squeeze into a nice dress. I always feel so disheartened when I have given up in the past and have let the weight pile back on, but now I want to know what it feels like to not give up! So far, I have lost 7.6 kg (approx 16 lbs) and I am feeling fantastic. I have dropped a dress size and because I am feeling so good, I want to maintain that feeling and the weight loss. This time I am most definitely not just going to gain it all back and give up (despite the fact I am going to the UK for a month, but I am really determined to try and limit the damage as much as possible when I am away).

One of Weight Watchers' mottoes was that you can lose 20% more weight than if you try and do it alone. As I said, I've only ever attempted weight loss on my own and have never been to meetings before. I am so glad that I chose to make the effort to go every week and get weighed and stay for the actual meetings as well. At first, the thought of going to the meetings on a Monday night of all times, filled me with dread. On a Monday, I like to just go home from work and relax for the evening, so to commit to going to Weight Watchers every week on a Monday seemed a bit much, but actually I am so glad it happens to be on a Monday. Going on a Monday sets me up for the week and helps me to get back on track if I've fallen off the wagon. Every week I leave the meeting feeling positive and as though I have been given a boost for the week ahead. I get so much from the meetings and think that my coach is just amazing; she is so positive and genuine and makes me want to achieve my goals. I feel that there is a lot of stigma with going to Weight Watchers meetings, but I absolutely love going and know that if wasn't attending I wouldn't have lost as much weight as I have. It's also something solely for me, that I don't need to rely on Rich for and I've met some great ladies there too. Going to the meetings has changed my mindset; I want to lose weight, but I also want to be healthy and make being healthy a long-term habit.

I have never been a fan of crash-dieting and hate the thought of cutting a certain food group out of my diet. I enjoy treats (who doesn't?!), so to commit to restricting all of my favourite things from my diet would never end well. I just feel that I end up starving myself of those things that I enjoy and then up binging when I've had enough of cutting them out. Weight Watchers has taught me that everything should be in moderation. I don't cut anything out of my diet and if I fancy having an alcoholic drink or a dessert, then I will have it. Life's too short not to have cake right? I find that as long as I am super strict during the working week, sticking to my daily amount of points, weigh my portions and have a healthy dinner, I can let loose a little at the weekends and enjoy the food I want and still lose weight come Monday. I most definitely live for the weekends and want to enjoy nice food and drinks with friends, without feeling like I have to restrict myself.

I am of course, walking a whole lot more too. Back in the UK, I went to a lot of exercise classes and went running frequently too. I've struggled to find the motivation to do either of those things since moving to Australia, but I have found a new love for walking. I think it's because the weather is so gorgeous, I find myself getting out for a walk fairly regularly. I also want to explore more of where I live and want to also fill the time that Rich is away, so walking has become the perfect hobby for me. It allows me to explore my surroundings, exercise, keep busy and get fit all at once. The best thing of course, is that it's free! I mostly like to go for walks alone, but I have joined a walking club in a bid to meet new people, but I have only participated once. This is mainly because of how busy I've been recently, but once I am back from my UK trip, I will definitely join in a bit more too. My main excuse for not wanting to go out running was that it was far too hot, but now that it's winter and has cooled down a bit, I feel like it's a good time to get back into it. I do just enjoy my walking at the moment and I am looking forward to discovering new places and new walks. Wearing a fitness tracker on my wrist certainly helps with motivation too as I try to reach my 10,000 steps target every day. If I haven't reached my daily target, I'll just have a wander to the beach or the shops in order to get some fresh air and boost the step count.

I have very nearly reached my weight loss goal and I feel that even when I do reach it, I want to continue going to Weight Watchers meetings and stay on track, rather than just cancelling my membership and never going again. Going to the UK for a visit is going to be hard as I have a lot of plans to meet up with friends and family, and socialising always involves eating and drinking. I know it's inevitable that I will most likely gain a bit of weight on my trip, but I intend to limit the damage as much as possible and keep it to a minimum. I want to try and make healthy choices where possible when meeting up with friends for food and I want to try and get out walking as much as I can too. I find that listening to your body when it's full also helps massively. I used to be a sucker for eating past the feeling of being full and then feeling really stuffed and even sick. I don't like feeling like that anymore and will gladly leave some of my meal if it means I feel comfortably-full rather than stuffed. Sometimes it might mean leaving food in a restaurant, which I don't particularly like doing, but I actually feel that my stomach has shrunk so much recently, that I can't eat more even if I really want to. And I have my human dustbin, Rich to polish off my leftovers for me!

It's a nice feeling to lose the weight that has been bothering me for a long time and it's even nicer to know that my head is finally in the right place for staying on track. Going back to the UK for a four week holiday is not going to be easy but I will have some time during the weekdays when everyone is at work to get out walking and cycling. When I am back in Perth at the beginning of August I intend to get straight back on track, continue going to the WW meetings and stay happy and healthy. I intend to have a good time when I am away; it is after all, a holiday, but I don't want to undo all of my hard work. It's not just about the weight, it's about feeling good too. I feel healthy, and my BMI has just tipped into the healthy range on the scale as well, which is a great feeling. I want to know that I am treating my body kindly - we only get one after all! I am feeling positive and healthy and ready for a much-needed trip to the UK to see loved ones.

Speaking of being kind, one thing that I do need to work on, is being kind to myself. My mind still hasn't caught up with my body and I beat myself up a lot about the way I look. I must try and focus on what I have achieved so far and I've got to remember that I am doing the best I can and that weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. I may have setbacks, but I am in the right frame of mind to overcome them and I've got to remember to aim for progress, not perfection. If I gain a bit of weight in the UK, then instead of beating myself up about it, I should just draw a line under it, move on and get back on track. It's a holiday at the end of the day so I want to enjoy it and relax, and not become so hung up about a number on a scale. It's all a work in progress!