#4- Happiness

Hey Everyone!  Thanks for checking out my blog today...this is a special post because (drum roll, please...) I completed 6 weeks of maintenance last night and I am now a LIFETIME member of weight watchers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAY!!

This was, of course, a very exciting achievement! Now, I have to stay within TWO pounds of my goal weight...that's a pretty slim margin (ha-ha), but I feel confident that I can do it :).  I'm going to continue to attend meetings with my mom and weigh in each week to keep myself accountable.  Plus, my meetings are FREE now (unless I go over 2 lbs.)!  I'm psyched all around...This is definitely not the end, but a new part of my journey that I'm sure I'll continue to tell you all about!

Moving right along...Reason #4- Happiness

I joined weight watchers because I wanted to be HAPPY!  I had felt discouraged and out of control for over a year.  I was tired of feeling that way, I missed being happy.  There were definitely other factors that contributed to some feelings of sadness that year, but I was feeling like I lost control of my mind and my body.  Food controlled me, I obsessed over it- constantly thinking of what I could eat, how much of it I could have, when I could get it.  If I didn't get what I wanted, I threw a temper tantrum (I may have made a scene in a McDonald's when they stopped serving breakfast earlier than I anticipated.  I really wanted that McGriddle...).

I definitely still struggle with "food issues" (I had a french fry related incident recently), but I have tried to turn those difficulties into strategy, like having a mental plan for what I'm going to eat or sharing food with someone and putting my portion on a separate plate.  At the heart of these issues and strategies lies the desire for control, which, I'm realizing, is a deep issue for me. 

Joining weight watchers meant having to give up some of what I thought was control in my life, like "getting" to eat whatever I wanted.  It also meant having to gain, or learn, self-control.  I think every weight watchers member simultaneously looks forward to and dreads the moment when we look at a cookie and then walk away from it, instead of devouring it instantly.  After the initial shock of such an event, the self-control feels pretty good.  I had to determine that I am worth being in control of what I put in my mouth, rather than food ruling me.  Gaining back some of the control in my life, remembering that I CAN do anything I put my mind to, and seeing the positive effects of changes I've made is certainly a good, and a happy feeling.