Decimated!

Woo Hoo! I finally made it past the 10% mark this week! I lost 2.2 pounds, for a total loss of 22.2 pounds.

And why is this post titled Decimated!? The original meaning of decimate was "to kill one in every ten" or to reduce by a tenth. In recent years the word has been used to mean "to kill in large numbers" or "to reduce by a lot." I like the precision of the original definition, so I try to use it that way -- not that anyone else (besides Zaphod) knows what I'm talking about!

When I told Zaphod I'd been decimated today, he shot back, "Oh, so you've tithed!" Ah, another 10% word. If you follow the hyperlinks, though, you'll find that tithe has so far managed to hang on to the "tenth" portion of its meaning. Hmmm, I wonder why?

I've been looking forward to getting my 10% keychain . . . then I had to look online to figure out how to add my 16-week charm to it! For those of you who are wondering, you pull up then twist the round part of the keychain.

The bookmarks and Bravo stickers have never done much for me, except in the beginning. Karen, my favorite leader, puts the Bravo sticker on the back of your hand instead of just handing it to you. I sometimes wear my Bravo sticker a full day or more before peeling it off. It acts as an anchor for me.

Karen was terrific when I hit the magical 10%. She has long reinforced me for my commitment to attending a meeting every week. She was delighted when I let out an enthusiastic "woo hoo!" when I realized I'd finally hit the 10% mark.

I've been attending Weight Watchers since October 20 of last year -- 36 weeks! Good heavens, that's 8 months! (I suppose, technically, it's 9 months of 4-week months.) No wonder I'm so excited by losing 22 pounds!

As a reward for finally getting the 10% keychain, I took myself off to Border's and bought Hungry Girl a book by the founder of hungry-girl.com. I've been getting her email newsletter for a while and knew that I wanted her book. I'm looking forward to delving into it.

I also bought Fibromyalgia for Dummies because I've wanted it since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and read that it's a good book for the newly diagnosed -- but I don't consider it a reward for hitting the 10% mark. My weight loss motto is currently "I'm sick and tired but I'd rather be sick and thin." Another WW veteran's motto is "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I like her motto better than mine.