Tuesday, May 19, 2009

What I Learned This Week #12


I'm just going to get the most expensive thing I learned this week over with first. A word of advice: when throwing away your worn-out purse, you MIGHT want to check all the zippered pockets, because one of them could contain a perfectly good iPod. Which you haven't used in a while, but still weren't ready to throw out. And the garbage truck might come before you get back home.

Sigh. At least I didn't get a ticket as I sped home to try to beat the truck to my house.

The rest of what I learned this week has to do with my first week following the Weight Watchers plan. As I said in an earlier post, I found out I was in fact eating too much--at least, if I wanted to lose weight. I've been hungry quite a bit. Not all the time, but hungrier than I used to get. Apparently I used to snack a lot. Yes, I often ate fruit and low-fat cheese and all that, and I actually like raw veggies, but those weren't my first snack options--I love crackers and pretzels and yes, chips--anything crunchy and salty. Now I have to choose whether I want a few crackers or a cup of broccoli (zero points!) and I'm going for the more filling options. Those 100-calorie bags of popcorn are great.

An unexpected effect has been that food tastes better to me now that I'm not eating so much of it. Knowing that this is all I'm getting makes it more delicious. I'm not craving sugar like I was. I stayed within my limits every day and used some of the extra points for a tea party given for my brother and his fiancee. The sweets were delicious and worth it. But the next day at church, there was a graduation reception with cake and other food, and I didn't indulge.

Besides taking off the extra pounds that found their way onto my thighs during the winter, I think this is good for me to develop my self-discipline. It's so easy to say yes to all the tempting things that aren't so good for us in the long run. By planning ahead and deciding which treats are really worth it to me, I think I'm doing a good thing for myself.

For more learning experiences, check out the What I Learned This Week carnival at Musings of a Housewife.

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15 comments:

  1. congrats on your new eating routine! Sorry bout your Ipod! But yay, no ticket!!!!

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  2. It's amazing to me how quickly the bad eating patterns can become normal and how good it can feel to want something like carrot sticks over chocolate (yes, I've made that decision a lot lately because the carrots really taste good and the chocolate only tastes good when my tasting it not when it hits my stomach!)

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  3. I envy you I am HORRIBLE at this...I just finished some chips. Shame on me.

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  4. Congrats and keep up the good work! I have never heard anything negative about WW. I hope you continue being successful.

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  5. Oh, that is so true. I just started Weight Watchers a couple of weeks ago. The accountability is so worth it. It really does work.

    Good job!

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  6. That stinks about your ipod. Sorry about that. I've never tried WW but hear so many success stories. Wishing you continued success.

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  7. Too bad about the ipod :(

    When doing WW (which I should be doing now!) I used to make a zero point soup, and have it with crispbread (also zero points) and fruit for lunch. That left lots more points for the rest of the day :)

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  8. Oh man. What a bummer with the iPod. I need more discipline with sweets, but I'm just too darn stubborn lately.

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  9. So sorry to read about your ipod, how frustrating.

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  10. Oh yes!!! That's so true...after throwing away my old purse with my favourite photo in it, I practically CUT UP my purse now before dumping it...just in case something 'good' fell in between the torn seams... *laugh*

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  11. Oh no! Sorry to hear about the iPod! Perhaps a new one as a gift could be in your future?

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  12. Oh no, I'm sorry about your Ipod! That really stinks! -- Leann

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  13. Both good lessons to learn. Total bummer about the iPod!

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  14. Yes, I can't believe it but I've been stopping often to think things through before indulging. It really changes how I see things.

    Good luck on your way! IT sounds like you've got it figured out. Feel better in your clothes? I sure do. And I've still got a long way to go!

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  15. Dang. An iPod? In the trash? That makes me sad for you. =(Congrats on the weightloss success though!

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