I am proud to say that my first week of being back on track was a success!  I am down 3 lbs. but more importantly, I am feeling very motivated and fully committed to getting back into the getting healthy game!

One of the biggest changes I made to my eating plan this week was to eliminate French Vanilla cappuccinos from Tim Hortons which I realized has a whopping 40g of sugar (per small serving) and is 7 Weight Watchers points!  I had been drinking half coffee-half cappuccinos, but have now realized that even that change is not good enough.  So my first challenge this week was to find an alternative that I could enjoy just as much (since I love having a daily coffee or two but only really like it if it’s sweet!)  A friend suggested flavoured coffee creamers, and while they still have a significant amount of sugar, it’s much lower than the cappuccino, and I figured a was a good way to start (and only 2 Weight Watchers points!)  Eventually, I will cut this out too, but for now it’s working 🙂

The other thing I cut out was my nearly daily habit of eating an entire bag of Rice Works chips (or other cracker, chip, snack-food alternative).  I thought it would be hard, but I already don’t miss them.  This is one thing I learned (but had obviously forgotten) the last time I lost a lot of weight – when you cut out some unhealthy foods you worry that you are going to feel restricted and won’t be able to deal without having them, but within a very short time you barely even think about that food at all! 

Another habit I am have been very aware of this week is night-time snacking.  Throughout my entire life, I have had the habit of mindlessly munching on snacks while watching TV or surfing the net in the evenings (usually Rice Works chips as noted above, or sugary cereals).  Most evenings this week, I made the conscious (and sometimes pretty difficult) choice not to snack unless I was actually having signs of true hunger (growling tummy).  On those nights, I had a few rice crackers with light Laughing Cow cheese (making sure to count my WW points) and a whole lot of water.  One night when the urge was really bad, I simply went to bed so I wouldn’t have to think about eating!  This one is still a bit of a challenge (I am sitting here now thinking about what I could snack on!) but it’s a work in progress!

Also this week, I returned to tracking all my food in a journal.  This was a tool that worked extremely well for me in the past, and in fact, I have never had weight loss success without using a food journal. It’s unbelievable how the simple task of writing things down, makes you really think about what you are putting in your mouth, and keeps you accountable for everything you have eaten.  The key is to be honest and to write down everything, good or bad!

When tracking in my food journal, for me this also means keeping track of my Weight Watchers points and not going over my daily target.  Again, I have had huge success with this program in the past, and highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to lose weight for the first time (or if you have never followed the program).  I learned so much while on Weight Watchers and while attending meetings.  This time around, I have decided to try following the program on my own at home.  WW (Weight Watchers) tells me that according to my height and weight, I should be consuming about 28 points a day.  I couldn’t believe it when my husband helped me calculate how many points I was eating on a given day and we came out to about eighty!  I was mortified.  Since I knew that jumping from 80 all the way down to 28 points just wasn’t realistic for me now, I decided to cut back slowly.  This week I aimed at consuming between 40-50 points a day and was successful!  This coming week, I am going to make even more changes so I can stay below 40 points per day 🙂

Another way I can stay within my points is by being active (you can earn activity points and deduct them from your food points).  Two years ago, I was super active (running 10-k marathons, playing soccer and baseball, doing crazy aerobics and weight-lifting classes, and participating in outdoor boot camps).  I had a strong, healthy, fit body I was proud of and my metabolism was insane.  But I know I can’t jump back into all that immediately.  I didn’t do that the first time, and I can’t do it now.  Instead, I decided to start out slowly by going for walks around my neighbourhood (which I hope to eventually build back up to running!)  A little while back, my daughter won a Fitbit and since she wasn’t using it, I asked her if I could.  A few of my friends at work have one too and we’ve been challenging each other as to who can take the most steps – it’s really been motivating me to go for longer and longer walks!  Although I lost our latest challenge (the Weekend Warrior) I am going to own the Workweek Hustle!

Finally, my husband moved our TV from the bedroom and set it up in the basement in front of our treadmill (that we rarely use). Since I am still saving for a new gym membership, I figure I can use the space down there for now on days when the weather doesn’t lend itself to walking.  Since the basement is pretty big and not cluttered with furniture, I can also use the space to do some of my Jillian Michaels workout videos which are killer and which I got huge results from in the past.

So these are some of the changes I have made in just one week.  If you’re facing the same weight-loss challenges as me, I urge you just to make a couple small changes.  It’s amazing how after only one week, your motivation level can increase significantly!  With that being said, I know it’s still a long journey ahead, and change will come slow, but now instead of seeing it as a daunting, impossible task, I feel excited about what’s to come!

Good luck on your own journey, and please share any tips/tricks that work for you!