Save me 100 calorie packs! You are the only ones who can.

Long weekends, LOVE them! However, they come at a price. People usually take advantage of the extra day to throw parties, barbeques, family gatherings, basically, any excuse to thrust massive quantities of food on you.

Pre WW (Weight Watchers) these long weekends were a food fest for me. Just one more hot dog, just one more slice of cake, just one more bite of lasagna, I ate until I felt like I would explode. This was my first long weekend post-WW again and boy how things have changed. I am amazed at how little healthy food is served at these festivities. A couple of slice of melon, some cucumbers and tomatoes and then I have exhausted my options.

However, having been down this road before, I was well aware of these obstacles that people unintentionally put you through. I came equipped to yesterday’s party with my healthy eating utility pack. There was my fiber one baggie, to get that full feeling plus it helped with my daily fiber requirements. My hard boiled egg whites were there for my protein kick and went nicely with the cucumbers and tomatoes. Finally, there are the ingenious 100 calorie snacks/packs, so I didn’t miss out on dessert when everyone else was wolfing down that cake.

I’ll be honest, chomping away at fiber one while others are voraciously attacking fresh French bread is not as satisfying in the moment, but I try to look at the bigger picture. A lot of people on the WW message boards utter the mantra “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels” and I wholeheartedly agree. There are times I prefer to have something taste good but WW allows you to do that and still be on track. If I sound like a WW groupie it is because I am. I have found no other way to eat that works for me but this one. What I LOVE about WW is that I can still have my normal foods if I want them but in moderation.

On Atkins, I suffered the smells of ketosis, on the grapefruit diet I just suffered. On WW I have had mini cupcakes, cookies, pizza, stuffed shells, ice cream and I have still lost weight. Broccoli tastes a whole lot better when it is followed by a yummy dessert -- with WW that is possible. So I say, let them eat cake, I will too and I’ll get skinnier every day I do it!

Dr. P, the Skinny Cow is making a comeback!

So, a couple of days ago, I went to the doctor for “routine maintenance” and part of the drill is being weighed. Now, I knew the number would not be one I was happy to see but NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think it would be THAT high. I haven’t been this heavy in over 10 years!

When you watch those shows like Jerry Springer, (Come on, admit it, you’ve caught yourself watching it, much as you would an accident on the side of a highway) and you see those 600 pound people who need to be cut out of their house, you wonder, how they didn’t notice. I kind of get in now.

Most days, I wake up and think “nothing in my closet fits, I am sooooo fat.” However, there are days I wake up in the morning, put on something that I actually feel like I look pretty good in. On those days, I don’t even notice the weight gain at all. Delusional? Perhaps. However, those moments, where I think nothing has changed about my body, have “fed” my continuing to eat poorly. If I can still fit into any of my pre-pregnancy skirts, even if it IS cutting off my circulation, I must still be the same weight, right?

Well, seeing that number shattered any illusions I had. I am not the same weight I was pre- Joshua and, while he was worth every pound gained, he deserves a healthy mommy.

So, I am back on Weight Watchers. There are fruits and vegetables in my fridge and my freezer is now full with my WW staples of Dr. Praeger’s pizza bagels and fish. When I was on WW before having Josh, Dr. Praeger’s items were a HUGE part in my success in dropping my excess weight. It allowed me to eat “nosh” in a points friendly way. Yes, I still had my veggies, water and all that healthy stuff but this made me feel like I was “cheating” when I was following all the rules

Another item I discovered on WW was Skinny Cow ice-cream sandwiches. They remind me of the flying saucers I had in Carvel when I was a kid. I bought them so frequently the last time I was on WW that my husband starting calling me (affectionately) his “skinny cow”. Yes, when I write it down here, it doesn’t sound too good, but trust me, it was very sweet.

So, it is day 3 for me on WW and so far, so good. While last week, I would have been baking chocolate chip cookies for shabbos, this week I bought some grapes instead. Yay me! I may be slow to make a move but, once I do, I am pretty good at keeping on track. So, my dear husband, leave a light on, cause your skinny cow is heading home.