This post was created as part of a relationship in which I was sponsored by Weight Watchers and given a free three month subscription to try their new Personal Coaching product and write about my experience. Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own. #WeightWatchers #WWsponsored
My journey to a healthier me
When I was invited to work with Weight Watchers this month and read through the blogging instructions, I had a funny reaction. I cried. I teared up and I cried. I have so many emotions tied to food – I love food – and I realized that I had spent the last several years convincing myself that I couldn’t lose weight…that I loved food too much to make any changes….that my body had changed and there was nothing I could do about it….that losing weight would be too hard….that I was too busy and stressed to focus the energy it would take to make a real difference in my weight.
The snacking decision…
I wanted to try to document my journey – what has brought me to this point of needing Weight Watchers – and why I am so thrilled to be partnering with them for the first 3 months of the new year. Your journey to a healthier you may be totally different, but hopefully you can see a little bit of yourself in my journey, too.
When I was growing up, and even well into my adulthood, I was blessed with fantastic metabolism. I never had to worry about what I ate and I never had a problem with weight. In fact, if anything, I had to watch that I didn’t let myself stay under weight. I thought I had it made.
As a young mom, I was grateful for the few pounds that I kept on after having kids because I thought that I looked more healthy. (I chuckle when I think back on those days. And how I wish those were my challenges now!)
That all changed shortly after my 5th son was born. I had spent the bulk of my 20s either pregnant or breast feeding, and suddenly, at about 32, my body was finally my own again. But my body didn’t know how to react, and I lacked the knowledge and the discipline to make any changes. Not only was I no longer a teen or young college student, but I had spent 10 years supporting growing babies (which meant I had spent 10 years getting used to eating a lot more than I was used to before).
Ten years is a long time to let a habit form (and honestly, my habits before those 10 child-bearing years were not all that great, either). Life-long habits are hard to break. I didn’t believe that I could do it.
I recently celebrated my 40th birthday. Instead of a house full of climbing, crawling, needy babies and toddlers, I’m surrounded by busy, demanding, hungry teens and older kids. And instead of chasing babies around all day, I spend my days sitting in front of a computer. With each passing year, I’ve added a few more pounds to the scale, and I’ve gotten more and more discouraged about my hopes of being able to take the weight off. The challenge seemed too big and so I avoided dealing with it.
Losing it with Weight Watchers
The time has come for a change. The thing that hit me so hard when I started reading about Weight Watchers – and one of the reasons that I cried – was the realization that I didn’t have to do it alone. Not only can I begin this journey to a healthier me with support and resources (I love that the Weight Watchers resources and tools are as close at hand as my smart phone, which is always with me, anyway), but I can lean on my personal coach, a person who has been in my shoes and who has successfully lost and kept off weight. She might not have come from the same starting point, but she understands the challenges that I face…and I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that I am losing weight with a support system and with tools in hand.
I finally allowed myself to believe that I CAN do it.
It’s not easy to lose weight. I know that sacrifices and lifestyle changes will need to be made. I love that Weight Watchers understands that, and that their flexible plans can be tailored to fit anyone’s needs. I love that I can still eat my favorite foods, but that I am starting to be more aware of the choices that I make throughout the day. I am arming myself with better eating options and I’m more aware of what I’m putting into my body because I’m tracking the foods that I eat. I can’t wait to start getting healthy with the help and support of Weight Watchers Personal Coaching!
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your journey to a healthier you?
How could Weight Watchers help you achieve your goals?
Connect with Weight Watchers:
Website: Weightwatchers.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/weightwatchers
Twitter: @weightwatchers
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/weightwatchers
Instagram: www.instagram.com/weightwatchers
© 2014 – 2015, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
It is very brave to start a new path in life so hats off to Lolli for committing to a change – a new relationship with food and activity. I applaud her efforts and look forward to hearing about her journey as a way to inspire my struggle with living the healthy life. Here’s to meeting our grandchildren (and being able to keep up with them!)