Keepin' On Keepin' On

My stats for today's weigh-in are a loss of 0.4 pounds for a total loss of 15.6 pounds. Yes, I've lost ground (so to speak) since I last wrote. But . . . in the last two weeks I've lost 4.1 pounds (my weigh-in location now has a scale that measures in tenths of a pound and occasionally I get weighed on it).

Obviously, it has been a struggle.

What's different now? It's hard to say.

I've been seeing a hypnotist, but we haven't been dealing directly with my weight problem, so that's not it.

I've started to walk our dogs at night because it has become a struggle for Zaphod this summer. His MS has progressed to the point where an evening walk, especially during warm weather, is difficult. But I don't think getting more exercise is it either.

If anything, it's that I've persisted in attending Weight Watchers' meetings.

The meeting topics for the last few weeks have concerned finding ways to motivate oneself out of a plateau or, especially in my case, a lapse in following the program.

For the past two weeks I've been mostly on-plan. And as every weight-watcher (no initial caps on purpose) knows, following the program works: measure your portions, record what you eat, stay within your limits, get more exercise.

I was pleased, however, to learn that getting back on plan was like riding a bike. Measure here, record there, think first, respect one's limits, and so forth. Still, I would not have gotten back on the bike if I hadn't continued to attend meetings week after week, disappointing weigh-in after disappointing weigh-in.

I sincerely doubt that this is the last time I'll point out the benefits of meeting attendance regardless of what's happening on the scale. I also doubt that I'll stay on-plan for the indefinite future. But I am pleased that I've made the commitment to attend Weight Watchers meetings regardless of how I'm doing with weight loss.

On a slightly different note, I now have a new meeting leader. Many moons ago, I said that I went to Kaitlin's meetings for motivation and Karen's meetings for inspiration. Kaitlin has moved on to be replaced by Carrie. I was distraught at first because Kaitlin was fun, informative, and motivational. And, I'd learned that Karen's meetings never change; she was inspirational in the beginning but now she sounds like a broken record (oh dear, am I showing my age with that simile?). Carrie, however, has won me over with her humor and style. She is just as much fun, informative, and motivational as Kaitlin but with a different style. Whew!