15 Thing Friday: Weight Watchers Edition

I am stealing the idea of 15 Thing Friday again because there is so darn much I need to catch up on because my blogging skills have been tragic.

1.  I went to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning and for the first time in nearly a month, I actually lost weight.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I, Jessica, lost weight this week.  Surprisingly, if you follow the program and do what you are supposed to do (plan meals, track, and exercise), it works.  I worked really hard this week, tracked every day, and got a lot more activity in, and it paid off.  I am thrilled because if I had seen another gain on that scale, I would have lost it.



2.  In an attempt to keep the Weight Watchers motivation going this week, I rediscovered something that first got me motivated to join Weight Watchers back in 2010.  A girl named Jess created a YouTube channel called "trulyjess" and posted weekly weigh-in videos that you can find here.  I loved her videos and watched every single one of them when I was first starting Weight Watchers.  I thought she was incredibly inspiring, and every time I watch her videos, I think about creating my own weekly weigh-in videos to help keep myself accountable and inspire others.  And then I remember that I have no technological savvy and that I would probably throw my computer out the window after spending three hours trying to edit a two minute video for YouTube.  I even spent a good thirty minutes trying to research how people film their vlogs (do you use a camcorder?  do you use your iPhone?  do you use iMovie?  and how do you use iMovie?!!!) and ended up trying to read a bunch of articles that didn't make sense to me.



3.  But enough about Weight Watchers... let's talk about Weight Watchers.  I have to have a place to discuss all of these things because Jamie does not want to hear about the details of my weight loss and I really shouldn't tell him anyway because you know... let's keep some mystery in this relationship.  In case you are reading this specific post and having some weight loss trouble of your own, here are a few things that worked for me this week.  The first thing that worked was pretending I was back in kindergarten.  I bought little star stickers from Target and I am using them as a reward for working out. I put one on my calendar each day that I exercise, and underneath the sticker, I write what I did.  And just like those little star stickers motivated me to do well on my homework, they motivate me to get in my exercise.  If you think I'm kidding...

... I'm not.  I really am that excited about tiny stars on my calendar.


4.  On top of just getting the activity in, I tried to vary my activity this week.  I still haven't been out for a run since the Princess Half Marathon, but I am cutting myself some slack on running right now.  I was so burnt out on running after the marathon that I consider it a miracle that I even made it through the Princess.  And while that was a great experience and an awesome run, I think I needed a mental break from running.  I'm starting to actually want to run again, instead of feeling like I have to, which I think is a good sign, but I'm not pushing it.  I want to be a in tip-top happy running shape for the Disneyland Half Marathon in the fall, and if that means taking a break from running now, fine.  So I'm trying new things and incorporating new activity into my routine.  I've started going to Body Jam on Thursday mornings at the gym - SO MUCH FUN!  I am in love with Body Jam.  I've also started following the Tone It Up girls and using their weekly workout schedules.  They are not kidding around.  And have you seen those girls?!  If doing those workouts is what it takes to look like that in a bikini, sign me up.  Far better than my current bikini body.

Coincidentally, this is probably how everyone in Body Jam sees me.


5.  I also worked on drinking more water this week.  I am trying to cut soda out completely - I never used to drink soda in Colorado, but here in Florida, I swear it knows me by name and tries to seduce me.  Same with sweet tea.  I love sweet tea, and it is everywhere here.  But I am trying to keep water with me at all times, and finish at least one big Starbucks tumbler full of water before I leave for work every morning.

I don't know why I look possessed.  Believe it or not, this was the best of 7 different takes.  I am shocked that no one has called on me to model as I am clearly so photogenic.


6.  I am slowly realizing I need to watch myself when it comes to weight loss related spending.  I see the cost of Weight Watchers itself as completely necessary because it is what helped me lose 35 pounds before, when nothing had ever worked like that for me.  Yes, I know the program, and yes, if you want to get technical, I used to teach this program.  I should have no problem following it on my own.  But the meetings are what really make a difference for me, so it's worth the $40 a week that I spend to get all the materials, the Weekly, the eTools, and the meetings.  I will pay for everything from Weight Watchers because it's worth it.  If they sold this cat, I'd buy it.


But that being said, while Weight Watchers is a good solid investment, I do not need to drain my bank account to lose weight.  For example...

7.  Just because I am exercising more does not mean that I need to purchase the entire online stock on Lululemon tops and capris.



8.  Just because I've started following Tone It Up, am using and enjoying their workouts, and really want to look like those girls in a swimsuit does not mean that I need to purchase their Beach Babe DVD, their Perfect Fit Protein powder, their own line of bikinis, and their Nutrition Plan all in one day.  But let's face it, I probably will buy all of those things, because LOOK AT THEM.



9.  And now that I have a Weight Watchers ActiveLink and a FitBit, I really do not need a new heart rate monitor.  But I want one.  Of course I want one.  It wouldn't be a normal day for me if I didn't at least think about spending gobs of money on something unnecessary, but entertaining.



10.  Okay... I'll stop talking about Weight Watchers and weight loss and trying to look good in a bikini and spending all of my money.  Mostly because I'm running out of interesting things to say on those topics and all I can think about is taking a nap.  Today is my day off (read: today is the day that I sit around and avoid cleaning), but since I've been working a lot of morning shifts, I've started taking an afternoon nap most days.  When I'm not feeling like a lazy bum for doing it, I have to admit that it is easily one of the best things ever.



11.  Totally unrelated to weight loss, avoiding cleaning, or the nap I'm still thinking about... I am obsessed with this video.  That man is amazing.  I really hope he does more of them because I want to know what happened to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty!

12.  Also... this...



12.  And this.



13.  Okay... how does Cely always come up with 15 things?!  

Maybe it's because she is not ego-centric and her 15 things aren't just about her.  Mine are.  Apparently I think I'm super interesting.


14. 


15.  Okay.  Time to get off my couch and exercise.  Tonight I am trying Zumba at the gym.  I have a really bad feeling it's going to be a lot of this:


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