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Week 2: Where's all the dancing?

So I made it through my first full week on Weight Watchers and lost 3.6 pounds.

Don't be too impressed with me, though. I think it was mostly due to the fact that I wore lighter clothes this week than last. I did not bow to the temptation to take off my shoes to get weighed, though. I'm saving that up for a week when I really need that two-tenths of a pound advantage.

I'm happy and proud of that 3-point-six-and-please-don't-call-it-a-three-and-a-half-pound loss and the program itself isn't bad. People said the ravaging hunger of the first week would abate and it turns out they were (mostly) right. I'm hopeful that the program will work for me. And I'm committed to keeping up with it. I'm actually eating more food than I was before -- it's just that the food I'm eating is healthier. And I'm definitely more active now, in part because going for a walk takes my mind off how badly I would like to eat a bag of chocolate, but mostly because you can earn extra points with exercise (which, of course, can then be spent on chocolate).

But the truth is I'm not really crazy about the weekly Weight Watchers meetings. They're a little too pop-psychology for my taste. And it's not even very good pop-psychology, like those stupid self-help books that are filled with utter bullshit but at least they make you feel better about things for, oh, an hour or two after you read them.

This week the leader talked about how people always feel like they'll be happier when they have more money, a more expensive car, a better love life, a more fulfilling job, etc. And I'm with him so far, because I totally get that you have to be happy in the moment, and that you shouldn't waste your life waiting and hoping and wishing for it to begin.

But then he goes in a totally different direction, saying that we should think about what will happen when we reach our weight loss goal. He gave us a blank scrap of paper and told us to write down something along the lines of "If I reach my goal of (fill in the blank), I will be (fill in the blank). And I'm thinking, Wait a minute. Are you seriously telling us that we will finally be (fill in the blank) if only we lose some weight? That flies in the face of every stupid self-help book I've ever read!

I stared at my little blank scrap of paper for a while, as I munched on some carrot sticks and dipped cherry tomatoes in a container filled with two tablespoons of hummus, which is actually a lot of hummus even though it doesn't sound like it. Everyone was writing except for me. And because I didn't want anyone to think that I have a bad attitude, I finally wrote something down, too. Here's what I came up with:

"If I reach my goal of losing weight, I will be thinner."

Probably not what the leader was looking for. But you can't fault my logic.

Here's the thing. I don't expect or depend on weight loss to change my life forever and make me live happily ever after just as I no longer look for Prince Charming to come riding in on a white horse (or for Richard Gere to pull up to my street corner in a stretch limo) and rescue me from the supposed drudgery of my life.

See, I thought the meetings were going to be more like they are on the television commercials -- a bunch of plump, pretty women wearing cute plus-sized outfits (bright red dresses! White cropped pants with strappy sandals and denim jackets!) dancing around arm in arm, "sharing what works and laughing about what doesn't."

So far there's been no dancing.

There has been some laughing and also a little bit of sharing tips and ideas and etc., though. Last week, for example, I learned that you don't wear jeans and sneakers on weigh-in day. That's a damn good tip right there. Also that fat free, sugar free pudding is only one point and tastes just the same as the fat free version, which is two points. So, you know, you can eat two of them.

But I wish there were more of that than the silly self-reflection and illustrative stories designed to help me understand why I've gained weight. I know why I've gained weight. I've gained weight because I eat too much and don't exercise enough. And if I eat better and exercise more, I will lose weight.

Simple as that.

Right?

Good lord, I hope it is as simple as that.
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3 comments:

Ryan said...

so tsjeu and i were talking... we aren't dancing, either, because we miss you. then he gave me the idea of stalking your blog.

Marti said...

Hmm...I always suspected those commercials were too good to be true. I bet there wasn't any Cher soundtrack playing either, huh? LOL

Best wishes to you and Happy May Day!

Marti
enterthelaughter.com

Gienna said...

Hi Ry!

Well you know if you are going to take stalking lessons from anyone, it might as well be the master.

I've been really busy but I did kind of burn out on Flickr for a while. It was taking up more and more of my time ... Also, I go through these phases where I don't take lots of pics, but concentrate more on the writing.

Anyway, it was fun to see your little icon!

And Marti -- there *definitely* wasn't any lively and upbeat Cher soundtrack playing!

G